The Hedge Knight (Spoilers) Who killed.............

[The Fat Huntsmen]

Prince Balor Breakspear? Was it an acident like Mekker tells Dunk? Did Mekker kill him on purpose? Or did someone else in the trail hit him? Could it have been one of the Kingsgaurd? IF he was murdered, why? I would like to know what people you read Dunk & Egg think.

[Mini Ghost]

It was a trial by seven. So there's your answer

[The Fat Huntsmen]

What I mean is what is the possability that Bealor's death wasn't an acident. Makker says he didn't remember the blow that killed him. And his reason for it not being one of the King's Guard is thier vows. Is it possable that there was more to the trial than it apears? Or am I stiching pottery out of nothing?

[Arya kiddin']

It was a trial by seven. So there's your answer

That's very sad if it is true. Why would Baelor be killed in such a trial. Any more thoughts?

[The Fat Huntsmen]

Baelor was credited with the victory at Red Grass Field. I'm trying to remeber if anyone in the trial was a known Blackfyre supporter. It seems that any one fighting on either could have used this once in a lifetime opportunity to eliminate Baelor Breakspear. I couldn't find anything off with the Kingsgaurd, but I only had the one time to read the story.

[Robin the Mighty]

He had that dornish look... So baelor would have been a great king, but practically not a targ one...

[LuisDantas]

Prince Balor Breakspear? Was it an acident like Mekker tells Dunk? Did Mekker kill him on purpose? Or did someone else in the trail hit him? Could it have been one of the Kingsgaurd? IF he was murdered, why? I would like to know what people you read Dunk & Egg think.

He was of course murdered. The only doubt is how intentional the murder was and who exactly commited it.

I don't see how it could be one of the Kingsguard. Such a public event would have lots of people noticing a knight in bright white armor hitting the beloved Hand of the King that they were duty-bound not to attack.

Maekar seems to believe it could be himself, but there I file this under unanswered questions myself. Every Dunk & Egg tale has at least one significant mystery, and this one is The Hedge Knight's.

It was a trial by seven. So there's your answer

Uh? That is not an answer at all.

He had that dornish look... So baelor would have been a great king, but practically not a targ one...

I take it you are kidding? Westerosi aren't quite that silly.

[Squire Dalbridge]

Prince Balor Breakspear? Was it an acident like Mekker tells Dunk? Did Mekker kill him on purpose? Or did someone else in the trail hit him? Could it have been one of the Kingsgaurd? IF he was murdered, why? I would like to know what people you read Dunk & Egg think.

The whole situation is of course curious, Aerion's uncle fighting against him in trial, and brother against brother, accidental kill.

But other than that, I didn't see any hints of it being more than an accident.

At that time Baelor still had two strong sons, and there were also two brothers born between Baelor and Maekar, so it must have seem very, very unlikely that Maekar would be crowned some day. (Which still happened though.)

[willi-E-Lannister]

It was an accident! The ill fitting armor was the problem. Anybody who has worn armor knows that it has to fit perfectly or it will be award. The fates decided to ruin the tarq name for kin killing. Which brought upon the end of the true tarq rule!

[The Fat Huntsmen]

It was an accident! The ill fitting armor was the problem. Anybody who has worn armor knows that it has to fit perfectly or it will be award. The fates decided to ruin the tarq name for kin killing. Which brought upon the end of the true tarq rule!

Well untill I find evidence that Baelor was killed on purpose I will have to say it was an acident. I still have serious douts it was an acident. But as far as I can tell know none of the participants turned out to be a Blackfyre supporter. There is that one guy on Dunk's side who dosen't seem like he has any family members alive in AGOT. But you bring up a good point about the armor. Ecspecially when you consider that Baelor's son wasn't much of a warrior, making the armor less likely to have been properly mantianed. I look foward to reading future Dunk and Egg stories to see if GRRM brings up the trial in future stories.

Dose anyone have anything else to add?

[bloodsteel bitterraven]

I believe Maekar is telling the truth. I think he killed him by accident. But it was Aerion (and Daeron too unfortunately) who really killed him with their lies.

[LuisDantas]

One possibility that I just now realized is that Maekar isn't half as wise as he appears to be, and that he is in fact maintaining a façade.

That could explain Baelor's death, as well as the intensity of his disagreements with Bloodraven and the fire in TSS.

[Stannis Eats No Peaches]

It never really occurred to me that Baelor might've been murdered. I think it was just a tragic accident, making Maekar a more sympathetic character.

[A wilding]

Yes it seems fairly clear to me. Maekar is clearly an abrasive and bitter person, and we get an explanation of why from Raymun - basically it is about being the always overshadowed youngest brother. His sour attitude to Bloodraven later entirely fits the man. For much of THK he come across as a villain. But then in the last scene with Dunk we see a fundamental core of decency underneath.

(For me the key point was "say what you are afraid to say Ser". To be effective, a ruler needs to hear the truth, not just what people think he wants to hear. Maekar clearly realises this, as later does Stannis.)

Maekar says that he will be hearing the whispers about killing his brother for the rest of his life. It would seem to make nonsense of his character to have wanted to do it deliberately. Yet at the same time he says that he is sure that it was he who struck the fatal blow, which eliminates anyone else having done it.

[LuisDantas]

I would call it an open question. Maekar accepts the responsibility for his brother's death, but at the same time he wonders why he does not recall doing it. And one would expect witnesses (of which there were plenty) to notice any major blow given to beloved Baelor Breakspear.

So it is inconclusive, with provisional blame going to Maekar.

[The Fat Huntsmen]

I would call it an open question. Maekar accepts the responsibility for his brother's death, but at the same time he wonders why he does not recall doing it. And one would expect witnesses (of which there were plenty) to notice any major blow given to beloved Baelor Breakspear.

So it is inconclusive, with provisional blame going to Maekar.

At least I know I'm not the only one that found Baelor's death odd. The thing about the armor makes sense, but it doesn't rule out fowl play. LuisDantas seems to be on the ball, by saying it is an open mystery. GRRM seemed to have writen the ending in such a way as to peek the suspicions of the people with suspicions minds, but at the same time providing no real way of knowing for sure.

Since knowing for sure seems to be out of the question, does anyone have any speculations. Or does anybody have any more evidence that it was an acident?

Feel free to hijack this thread.

[A wilding]

This "foul play" has me somewhat confused. They were fighting each other with lethal weapons in potentially mortal combat that would end only with the death or yielding of either Dunk or Aerion. They were not practicing under the eye of a master at arms with a responsibility to pull their blows if it came to it. Baelor was not the only one who died, and whatever the moral responsibility Maekar is legally ok.

So if "open question" means that maybe years of resentment drove Maekar's blows and made him fight more viciously that he otherwise would have done, and that maybe he subsequently blocked this out or is even lying about it, I would agree. But I would say that anything more than that is crackpot.

As for witnesses, for all we know hundreds of the people there saw Maekar strike the fatal blow (though of course it would not have appeared to be fatal at the time, and it might not have been clear exactly which blow it was). There was no enquiry or trial after all. Maekar seems to accept he is widely thought to have struck the blow. On the other hand if lots of people had seen some mystery other person do it, then I would have imagined someone would have spoken up.

[The hairy bear]

Maekar reaches the conclusion with a very straightforward reasoning: "And it was my mace that dealt the fatal blow, I have no doubt. The only other foes he faced in the melee were three Kingsguard, whose vows forbade them to do any more than defend themselves. So it was me".

It is reapeatedly said that none of the kingsguard can strike Baelor, and everyone would have noticed if they had, and Maekar admits no one else fought Baelor (in fact, we know Daeron managed to "gallantly" fall in the beginning, Aerion only fought Dunk, and the two Fossoways faced each other).

And I have no doubt it was an accident.

[Anath]

I would call it an open question. Maekar accepts the responsibility for his brother's death, but at the same time he wonders why he does not recall doing it. And one would expect witnesses (of which there were plenty) to notice any major blow given to beloved Baelor Breakspear.

So it is inconclusive, with provisional blame going to Maekar.

I think it wasn't wondering, exactly. Maekar was still trying to come to terms with the situation. IMO, it was more a manner of speaking than actual wonder. He was in the middle of a fight, he did not expect to actually kill Baelor and never tried to, so it wasn't as if he would notice which blow was the fatal one - in the heat of the fight, they were all just blows. I think he tried to remember it later and couldn't. This, combined with his remorse, can explain his choice of words.

I have no doubt that it was an accident. Maekar is basically the proto-Stannis and I remember thinking 'what a hypocrite' when Stannis repeatedly claimed that he did not want the Iron Throne. I was surprised to find out it was true.Maester Aemon who's a good judge of characters claims Maekar was forever haunted by the accident - and that's hardly likely if he did it deliberately.

[Squire Dalbridge]

Maester Aemon claims Maekar was forever haunted by the accident - and that's hardly likely if he did it deliberately.

Hmm... Isn't it quite the opposite, actually..?