What would have happened to Dunk and Egg if they never met?

[Canon Claude]

Another speculation question, I fear, but one which I don’t think has been asked since I came here.

What do you think would have realistically happened to those two if they never met? Besides the obvious prophecies, it’s clear that they both need each other in different ways, and neither would have ended up where they were without the other’s help.

[Floki of the Ironborn]

Dunk would probably have died stupidly in some skirmish or raid, forgotten almost as soon as he's been buried.

Egg would still have been driven to run away from Aerion, but it would have ended badly for him.

The real issue is that Baelor Breakspear wouldn't have died in that tourney, which means he'd have become king instead of Aerys or Maekar. That probably would have been a better future for Westeros too, given how things turned out.

[Aejohn the Conqueroo]

Floki hits on the real impact of their meeting above with the death of Baelor. Probably some city watch for Dunk. I wonder if Egg might have ended up squiring for another hedge knight though, it seemed to be his path and it seemed like Maekar was fine with letting him do his thing. Either that or a life of leisure whacked out on his sister's love potions.

[Canon Claude]

1 hour ago, Aejohn the Conqueroo said:

I wonder if Egg might have ended up squiring for another hedge knight though, it seemed to be his path and it seemed like Maekar was fine with letting him do his thing. Either that or a life of leisure whacked out on his sister's love potions.

I don’t know if I’d agree that Maekar was okay with it. He really didn’t seem willing at all to even recognise that there was a problem with his sons. Egg couldn’t have done it himself. Dunk stood up to Aerion, he fought him in a trial of seven, and he was bold enough (or dumb enough) to tell Maekar to his face that his older sons were incompetent and he wanted to take Egg on the road with him. And do we know if Maekar would even have agreed with him if he wasn’t dealing with his brother’s death?

[Aejohn the Conqueroo]

4 minutes ago, Canon Claude said:

I don’t know if I’d agree that Maekar was okay with it. He really didn’t seem willing at all to even recognise that there was a problem with his sons. Egg couldn’t have done it himself. Dunk stood up to Aerion, he fought him in a trial of seven, and he was bold enough (or dumb enough) to tell Maekar to his face that his older sons were incompetent and he wanted to take Egg on the road with him. And do we know if Maekar would even have agreed with him if he wasn’t dealing with his brother’s death?

Fair enough. The fact that the left Egg with Dunk after Whitewalls suggests to me that Egg was never a high priority of his. Who knows though, maybe Bloodraven's given him some assurances off screen that we aren't aware of.

[James Steller]

9 hours ago, Canon Claude said:

I don’t know if I’d agree that Maekar was okay with it. He really didn’t seem willing at all to even recognise that there was a problem with his sons. Egg couldn’t have done it himself. Dunk stood up to Aerion, he fought him in a trial of seven, and he was bold enough (or dumb enough) to tell Maekar to his face that his older sons were incompetent and he wanted to take Egg on the road with him. And do we know if Maekar would even have agreed with him if he wasn’t dealing with his brother’s death?

I don't know if I agree with that. Maekar is basically the Stannis insert in the Dunk & Egg stories. He never ordered Duncan to do anything, he always gave Duncan the choice. Re-read that conversation between them. He's not an unreasonable man who just once gives in to reason as if it's some kind of weakness. Hell, Egg told his dad that he wouldn't squire with anyone except Ser Duncan. Imagine how any other father would react to his young son saying something so presumptuous.

[Fool Stands On Giant’s Toe]

I like this thought.

What if Dunk and Egg never met? What influence would another squire or a different knight have upon each of them? Unfortunately my mind immediately went to..

Dunk  losing his horse, sword, and armor in his first tourney. So Dunk decides on a “brilliant” plan, a perfect plan, to win it all back…

The Pillow House Plan. 

If you have the coin then he’ll fill your loins.         He’s thicker than a castle wall and makes small cloth’s fall!
He’s a knight walker and all night peach socker! 
He’s Dunk the Hunk and his plan is to be your courtes-man! 


 years later.
 An old and used Dunk is tied to a four-poster bed. His whore’s paint is smeared with tears and fluids. Dried pus of sailor sick sores clump in his small hairs. 
Dunk the once Hunk laughs sadly.

“I had a plan…dreams! I wanted to be a just knight! I wanted to win tourney’s!” Spittle drips from his mouth. “I ended…just turned out.
  You wanna know what it feels like to take a life boy? Ha! There ain’t nothing left to take!”
A crossbow sounds. Prince Joffrey exits.

[Finley McLeod]

The short answer, Dunk would go on to become a hedge knight.  He would be one of many knights for hire.  Not much would be remembered other than his height.  Egg would have been another Targaryen in the court at King's Landing. 

[James Steller]

7 hours ago, Finley McLeod said:

Egg would have been another Targaryen in the court at King's Landing. 

That's a very simple answer, but I do wonder just what he would have done. Aerion clearly terrorized him, but we don't know how far he would have gone if unchecked by Dunk and the trial by seven. 

Plus, just because Baelor didn't die at the trial, doesn't mean he'd have survived the spring "sickness" which mysteriously wiped out his line. I highly doubt that Bloodraven wouldn't have spared Baelor from his poisons and spells.

[TheLastWolf]

No asoiaf

[Mad King Bolton]

My opinion is that Egg would still be king though maybe a different path would have happened. The reason being, that bloodraven seemingly has made the bloodline follow its path to this point to meet with the prophecy of the prince that was promised. So it might have been that bloodraven would find another way to have Baelor die and Egg ascend…or maybe baelor would have been more ideal and it goes that way, dunno it had to be egg or if he just survived best. Anyway, bloodraven seems to be the real catalyst for moving things forward.

[Ser Duncan of Flea Bottom]

He would just stay a knight I supposed, a hedge knight. It was the only life he knew besides being an urchin in King's Landing. He would serve lords and landed knights, fight in battles, until one day he would die.

Egg would be a prince, would probably marry someone (sister or not) and life would go on. I am seeing a scenario without Baelor Breakspear dying and also no Great Spring Sickness.

[Canon Claude]

10 hours ago, Larys Strong said:

He would just stay a knight I supposed, a hedge knight. It was the only life he knew besides being an urchin in King's Landing. He would serve lords and landed knights, fight in battles, until one day he would die.

Egg would be a prince, would probably marry someone (sister or not) and life would go on. I am seeing a scenario without Baelor Breakspear dying and also no Great Spring Sickness.

Why wouldn’t the Great Spring Sickness happen? 

[Ser Duncan of Flea Bottom]

6 hours ago, Canon Claude said:

Why wouldn’t the Great Spring Sickness happen? 

I said if the Great Spring didn't happen, I mean, it could very well not happen if the story was different, in a scenario where Dunk and Egg never met.

[Canon Claude]

43 minutes ago, Larys Strong said:

I said if the Great Spring didn't happen, I mean, it could very well not happen if the story was different, in a scenario where Dunk and Egg never met.

Maybe, but the sickness didn’t hinge on their meeting. If anything, come to think of it, it might have killed Egg if he wasn’t on the road with Dunk.