A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Has Somehow Made One Game Of Thrones Death Even More Heartbreaking

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Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the finale of "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."

If ever a show proved that great things can come from the smallest beginnings, that's best exemplified by "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." HBO's "Game of Thrones" prequel/spin-off series starts out as a small-scale journey about Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) taking their first real steps in this franchise. It ends, however, with both characters riding off into the wide world of Westeros, primed and ready for much bigger events to come. The ultimate effects of their actions throughout this first season won't be made apparent until further down the line, but readers and fans of both shows can already begin to connect the dots for themselves.

Take that reveal regarding Egg's true identity as Prince Aegon Targaryen, for instance. It doesn't merely change the dynamic between our hedge knight and his supposed squire for good, but adds entirely new layers to other individuals we've already seen before — particularly Egg's descendants. One connection in particular now lends fresh meaning to an important character death from the original "Game of Thrones."

Remember when the cider-loving Raymun (Shaun Thomas) spills some gossip to Dunk about the Targaryen royal family back in episode 3? He mentions one of Maekar's (Sam Spruell) sons getting sent off to the Citadel to become a maester. Though left unnamed, that son is none other than Aemon Targaryen, the elderly blind maester stationed at the frozen Wall who we meet early in "Game of Thrones." Before he dies in season 5, Aemon mentions a younger brother named "Egg" who goes on to become king. Knowing what we know now, this takes on even more heartbreaking overtones in light of Aemon's tragedy-filled life.

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Unfortunately, if you're a Targaryen living in Westeros, chances are your story doesn't end well. Not that the "Game of Thrones"-verse has ever been the most peaceful setting in fantasy anyway, but the royal family, mostly comprised of incestuous conquerors, seems to have far more drawbacks than most. HBO has released no less than three entire shows with this premise in mind, and the results certainly bear that out. While many may have hoped that "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" might break this pattern with Egg, well, that potentially lore-changing prophecy in episode 3 would suggest otherwise.

The reverberations of Dunk and Egg's adventures linger on even in "Game of Thrones," for better and worse. For those not well-versed in George R.R. Martin's lore, it's established that Aemon Targaryen (played by the late Peter Vaughan) chose honor and duty to the Night's Watch in the frigid North over love and family back home. This meant that, while serving the brothers in black at the Wall, Aemon sat by helplessly as the Targaryens endured several calamities — from the Tragedy at Summerhall to the Sack of King's Landing during Robert's Rebellion, the civil war directly preceding the events of "Game of Thrones."

When old Maester Aemon finally reaches the end of his long and tragic life, his last thoughts are with his beloved youngest brother, Egg. He remembers him as a "jolly fellow" with an innocent laugh, both of which we've now seen for ourselves in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." But his saddest moment is saved for last, when he mistakes Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) for Egg and states, "Egg, I dreamed that I was old."

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For fans interested in rereading the "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels or experiencing them for the first time, look out for the fact that they mention characters from "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" several times. In "A Feast for Crows," Aemon dies in even bleaker circumstances, far from home on a journey to the Citadel in Oldtown with Samwell. In a series of heartbreaking monologues, he worries about his impending fate and wonders whether he'll see his siblings again in the afterlife. ("Will I talk with Egg again, find Daeron whole and happy, hear my sisters singing to their children?") Elsewhere, his thoughts drift towards family members like his prickly, guilt-ridden father, Maekar:

"I will be with my brothers soon. Some were bound to me by vows and some by blood, but they were all my brothers. And my father ... he never thought the throne would pass to him, and yet it did. He used to say that was his punishment for the blow that slew his brother [Prince Baelor, in the Trial of Seven]. I pray he found the peace in death that he never knew in life."

But the final twist of the knife is perhaps the worst of them all. Aemon and Sam hear rumors of Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons in the East. This tiny scrap of hope that his family wasn't extinguished only adds more anguish for Aemon, who's too old and sickly to lend her his wisdom. Only George R.R. Martin could add even more heartbreak to a story already dark and full of terrors.

"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" is now streaming in its entirety on HBO Max.