Dunk is a Badass. (TWoIaF Spoilers)

[Annara Snow]

I've read suggested that he died saving Rhaella and Rhaegar.

So, it's all his fault :lol:

Ye, Dunk may be responsible for Jon Snow's existence. :D

ETA: and Dany's!

I love that. If they end up both playing major roles in the fight against the Others, Westeros has Dunk to thank!

[Annara Snow]

The sentence fragment clearly indicates that his valor saved somebody's life. Who? The possible options are all the Targs who survived Summerhall, namely Jaehaerys, Shaera, Aerys, Rhaella, and Rhaegar.

If he saved Aerys, that would be super ironic.

This is what I imagine to be most likely: Dunk saves the pregnant Rhaella. Possibly the maester, too, so he would deliver the baby. Dunk may have also saved the others - Aerys, Jahaerys and Shaera. I can see Egg commanding him to save the others first. Or maybe they got away differently, but he may have done something to help them escape. But I definitely believe he saved Rhaella and, by extension, Rhaegar, that would fit so well narratively, and would explain why Rhaegar was depressed and felt that he had to justify the sacrifices made for him. (Duncan the Small and Jenny probably die early on in some tragic scene of dying together, so Dunk can witness it as the POV character. )

Then in the end he goes back inside to save Egg, and they both die, together. The perfect tragic ending for what seemed to be the more lighthearted series set in the ASOIAF universe.

[Bael's Bastard]

That D&E is going to be so sad.

[Lord Varys]

Archmaester Gyldayn died at Summerhall, too. No idea why he would write something down, though, if he was either mortally wounded or in a room where the smoke would soon choke him to death (or something like that - surely he would not have written those last pages out in the water of the stream...).

Dunk is most likely crucial in saving the life of Rhaella/Aerys, considering the whole prophecy about the promised prince. We know now that Egg was not really into that kind of thing at first, but perhaps this changed shortly before Summerhall. If not, then Dunk may have done that because he himself believed the prophecy, just as Jaehaerys did.

[Manderstark]

Dunk's sigil is also a shooting star. This means that Rhaegar is born (metaphorically) under a bleeding star, with salt (for the tears of the dead people) and smoke. This could be the reason because Rhaegar thought to be TPTWP.

[Lord Varys]

Not sure if we can call a shooting star a bleeding star. Surely only a red shooting star would come close to that metaphor. And Dunk's star is not red.

[Manderstark]

Not sure if we can call a shooting star a bleeding star. Surely only a red shooting star would come close to that metaphor. And Dunk's star is not red.

Maybe "bleeding" because he was really bleeding to save Rhaegar.

[Annara Snow]

Archmaester Gyldayn died at Summerhall, too. No idea why he would write something down, though, if he was either mortally wounded or in a room where the smoke would soon choke him to death (or something like that - surely he would not have written those last pages out in the water of the stream...).

I find it hard to imagine a scenario in which Gyldayn was sitting in a burning room and writing things down while choking to death, but still knew exactly what was happening/what happened and who was saved by whom. He had to somehow have seen what was going on. Maybe he was indeed mortally wounded/on the brink of death and died later.

[Lord Varys]

Me too. But if he was mortally wounded, how would he have had the strength to continue his writing. Much more likely would be some sort of post-Summerhall assassination, perhaps orchestrated by whoever betrayed Egg. Of by those behind them trying to cover their tracks...?

It seems clear that he died at Summerhall, though. The books states his writing on Summerhall was written shortly before his own death.

[Maid So Fair]

Me too. But if he was mortally wounded, how would he have had the strength to continue his writing. Much more likely would be some sort of post-Summerhall assassination, perhaps orchestrated by whoever betrayed Egg. Of by those behind them trying to cover their tracks...?

It seems clear that he died at Summerhall, though. The books states his writing on Summerhall was written shortly before his own death.

I think 'shortly before his death' could in this context easily mean a couple of days, weeks, or even months later. The stress alone might have been enough to hasten his demise if he was elderly, and he could have been injured in some manner and then succumb to his wounds later. He could have died of natural (or not so natural) causes unrelated to the Summerhall tragedy not long afterwards as well.

[RumHam]

I think 'shortly before his death' could in this context easily mean a couple of days, weeks, or even months later. The stress alone might have been enough to hasten his demise if he was elderly, and he could have been injured in some manner and then succumb to his wounds later. He could have died of natural (or not so natural) causes unrelated to the Summerhall tragedy not long afterwards as well.

Agreed. It doesn't make sense otherwise.

[Veltigar]

Wouldn't it be a bittersweet irony if the foot that dunk ponders over being worth a prince's life ended up being instrumental in saving Rhaegar?

What if dunk uses his size and foot to kick a door down, or beam out of the way, to save Rhaegar's mother's life and in the trauma she gives birth to him right outside while the fire rages?

I'm pretty sure this will indeed happen. Nice really, in the end Dunk's foot really was worth a prince's life :) Besides all the other things Dunk did for House Targaryen, he ultimately saved Rhaelle and Rhaegar. Without Rhaegar no Jon and without Rhaelle no Dany. The only two candidates for the PtwP. Duncan saved the whole world that day.

I am guessing Egg met Black Betha in The Village Hero

Seems likely. I hope they meet and have a bit of a rivalry first. And then in a later story, when they meet again they fall in love. Pretty corny :)

Then in the end he goes back inside to save Egg, and they both die, together. The perfect tragic ending for what seemed to be the more lighthearted series set in the ASOIAF universe.

My God, talk about bittersweet. I can really see this happening. They lived together and they died together.

[The Wolves]

His picture in the world book is the epitome of badass and Lyonel Baratheon ain't no punk in it either.

Everything about the picture screams badass their stance, armor and poise is awesome and they're doing the epic stare down also.

[Liz Stark-Targaryen]

I'm pretty sure this will indeed happen. Nice really, in the end Dunk's foot really was worth a prince's life :) Besides all the other things Dunk did for House Targaryen, he ultimately saved Rhaelle and Rhaegar. Without Rhaegar no Jon and without Rhaelle no Dany. The only two candidates for the PtwP. Duncan saved the whole world that day.

Seems likely. I hope they meet and have a bit of a rivalry first. And then in a later story, when they meet again they fall in love. Pretty corny :)

My God, talk about bittersweet. I can really see this happening. They lived together and they died together.

Dunk and Egg are the Castor and Pollux of the ASOIAF universe.

(Sure, they're not twins, and it's a royal and a commoner instead of a human and a deity... but still. :))

[ShaggyCat]

I think it's combination of that and losing his parents because of Rhaegor's need for a bride. The later trauma would seem to play right into that early pain.

This. HIs "devotion" to Lyanna (or his idealised version of Lyanna) makes more sense as an additional coping mechanism to his childhood trauma.

As much as I'm down with Dunk being a forebear of Brienne, wasn't he also a Kingsguard? So when was he married to a Targ? *confused*

[Ser Cold Fingers]

This. HIs "devotion" to Lyanna (or his idealised version of Lyanna) makes more sense as an additional coping mechanism to his childhood trauma.

As much as I'm down with Dunk being a forebear of Brienne, wasn't he also a Kingsguard? So when was he married to a Targ? *confused*

If he married Egg's sister...it would have been before Aegon's reign and before he became a KG. We know he has an heir...and from what I remember it is Brienne...but everything else is deductive reasoning and speculation...from what I can tell.

[ShaggyCat]

Ahha. With you now!

[Ser Cold Fingers]

Ahha. With you now!

:cheers:

[Bael's Bastard]

This. HIs "devotion" to Lyanna (or his idealised version of Lyanna) makes more sense as an additional coping mechanism to his childhood trauma.

As much as I'm down with Dunk being a forebear of Brienne, wasn't he also a Kingsguard? So when was he married to a Targ? *confused*

He wasn't in the KG his entire life. The earliest year he is mentioned as being in the KG is 236 or so, a few years into Egg's reign. The most recent Dunk and Egg story was around 211. So there is plenty of time between those years for him to marry and or father children, legitimate or otherwise.

[Ulthosian Stark]

Ugh I have a bad feeling about the whole thing, like your supposed to, but I honestly would rather have it due to Targ madness or some crazy thing then it be a Proto-Red Wedding, but with fire. And no wedding. Just beloved characters dying horribly.

If it ends up being Aerys the hate meter shoots to the extreme, if tywin had a hand in it him too. That would make Tywin the most twisted son of a bitch, starts with Summerhall, then Reynes, then Starks/Tullys. All done in the most dishonorable fashion.