History Literature / TalesOfDunkAndEgg

* GreyAndGrayMorality: [[spoiler: Overall, Ser Eustace is a decent man, but he did support the rebels against a good king and he is still willing to rush into a fight that would get his smallfolk massacred, over a stream that does not even belong to him legally. On the other hand, Lady Rohanne often metes out harsh punishments to those who commit crimes against her holdings and her people-going as far as to drown a man for stealing sheep even though death sentence is not usually imposed on thieves in Westeros. However in her defence, the people she targets are usually guilty and as a woman ruling feels that she has to prove her toughness constantly or risk acts of aggression upon her lands.]]

* TragicMistake: Daemon Blackfyre helping Gwayne Corbray.

A fourth novella tentatively titled ''The She-Wolves of Winterfell'' was announced but has since been put on hold in favour of completing ''The Winds of Winter''. Martin has announced his plans to publish several future tales, with the stated intention to chronicle the complete adventures of Dunk and Egg.

* GreyAndGrayMorality: [[spoiler: Overall, Ser Eustace is a decent man, but he did support the rebels against a good king and he is still willing to rush into a fight that would get his smallfolk massacred, over a stream that does not even belong to him legally. On the other hand, Lady Rohanne often metes out harsh punishments to those who commit crimes against her holdings and her people-going as far as to drown a man for stealing sheep even though death sentence is not usually imposed on thieves in Westeros. However in her defence, the people she targets are usually guilty and as a woman ruling in a world dominated by male chauvinists she has to prove her toughness constantly or risk acts of aggression upon her lands.]]

* AmbiguouslyGay: John the Fiddler is rather handsy with Dunk, and his tone is exceedingly flirtatious. There's also this exchange:

** Egg hates [[spoiler:his elder brother Prince Aerion Brightflame, passionately and even cheers other competitors to kill him.]]
** A more tragic example is that of Prince Maekar and Prince Baelor Breakspear. [[spoiler:Maekar resented his brother, who was more likable and good-looking than him, and hated the fact that his children would inherit before Maekar's. But even then he never wanted to kill him. In the Trial by Seven, Maekar and Baelor tussled and a poorly timed hit from Maekar's mace damages his brother's brains and kills him.]]

* ContemptibleCover: After finishing the second edition, Readers might well ask who the hell the guy on the horse depicted on the cover was supposed to be. He is certainly not Duncan.

''Dunk and Egg'' differs from [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire the main series]] by being [[LighterAndSofter significantly different]] in tone. The values of knighthood, the codes of chivalry and the honor of service in the same, is played straight for the most part. It's mainly a chronicle of perhaps the most unlikely friendship in the annals of Westeros.

* LegendaryInTheSequel: Readers of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' know that [[spoiler:Ser Duncan the Tall becomes the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and that Egg becomes King Aegon V "The Unlikely", one of the last good kings of the Targaryen dynasty. They also know sadly, that they die in an event called the "Tragedy at Summerhall".]]

* BoringButPractical: This is the trade (and apparently the personal philosophy) of the armourer Dunk approaches to equip himself for the tourney, Steely Pate. His work is unadorned and dull to the eye, but extremely well-suited for its intended purpose i.e ''keeping the wearer alive!''

* HeelFaceTurn: Prince Daeron "the Drunk" [[spoiler:admits to his own failure in doing right by his youngest brother, apologises to Dunk for levelling his own accusations against him (which he withdraws), and quickly yields during the Trial By Seven.]]
* HumbleHero: Dunk, Egg and Baelor Breakspear.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Rohanne's response to her dispute being described by Dunk as a 'pissing contest'.

* ConflictingLoyalty: Much like Ser Jaime Lannister several decades in the future, Ser Duncan experiences this even on the smallest scale. He's sworn his sword to Ser Eustace Osgrey to defend his lands and people from the Webbers, [[spoiler:but Eustace is a former supporter of the Blackfyre pretenders and so a traitor, and Lady Rohanne hates him for foolishly entering a conflict that led to his son, her beloved Ser Addam dying on the opposite side. Moreover, Dunk likes and admires Lady Rohanne]]. Dunk's real commitment is protecting the common people who Eustace is forcing into preparing for a battle that will get them butchered.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Ser Bennis, the robber knight who bleeds Standfast dry while everyone's away. Dunk vows to get him if their paths cross in the future]].

* SillyReasonForWar: Discussed. Rohanne points out that events like this 'pissing contest' over water rights are how nobles judge each others strength, and worse will happen if she doesn't put up a strong front.

* UptownGirl: Duncan knows Lady Rohanne is out of his league, but desires her anyway. During their confrontation at the river, she admits that she'd marry Dunk if only his pedigree was higher.

* WhatTheHellHero: Egg gets a soft version of this when he puts down two of Aegon the Unworthy's Great Bastards, Bloodraven and Blackfyre, for being like all bastards, untrustworthy and ungrateful. Dunk replies that as a poor child born in a slum who never knew his parents, it's more than a little likely that he is a bastard himself and wonders if that means he's untrustworthy. Egg is silent and abashed at this.
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: PlayedWith. Dunk notes that Egg is so well educated and so observant about political life and his family at the capital that he occasionally says things that should be said by an older man. But at other times he has the emotional maturity and fatigue of the small child that he is.

** Between this story and the previous, Dunk has become a much better fighter. He recalls fighting off an Ironborn boarding party and considers himself virtually peerless with an axe or mace. In the end, handily defeats the villain in single combat. He's still a lousy jouster, however.

* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:Aerion destroys the puppet stand and breaks one of Tanselle's fingers because they put on a story where a dragon gets slain. Dragons being the sigil of House Targaryen (and believing ''himself'' to actually ''be'' a dragon), Aerion takes it as a veiled insult to the crown. When Dunk intervenes, punching and kicking Aerion hard enough to loosen one of his teeth, Aerion wants Dunk executed, although he's willing to settle for cutting off the hand and foot Dunk used to strike him, and breaking ''all'' of his teeth. Prince Baelor doesn't allow it]].
** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], though, in that [[spoiler:even Prince Baelor has to admit that this ''is'' actually the law- Dunk struck and kicked a prince of the royal blood, so the hand and foot he used to do so are forfeit. It's only his status as a knight granting him the right to TrialByCombat that gives him any alternative.]]

* WhatTheHellHero: Egg gets a soft version of this when he puts down two of Aegon the Unworthy's Great Bastards, Bloodraven and Blackfyre, for being like all bastards, untrustworthy and ungrateful. Dunk replies that as a poor child born in a slum who never knew his parents, its more than a little likely that he is a bastard himself and wonders if that means he's untrustworthy. Egg is silent and abashed at this.

* BoringButPractical: This is the trade (and apparently the personal philosophy) of the armourer Dunk approaches to equip himself for the tourney, Steely Pate. His work is unadorned and dull to the eye, but extremely high suitable for its intended purpose i.e ''keeping the wearer alive!''

* AppropriatedAppellation: Raymun Fossoway is frequently mocked by his cousin, Ser Steffon Fossoway, for being "green". In the Trial by Seven, [[spoiler:the newly knight Ser Raymun takes a green apple as his sigil after Steffon turns his cloak and fights for Aerion's side. His belief is that "better green than rotten". Readers of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' also know that Ser Raymund would become the founder of the Fossoways of the New Barrel, called "the Green Apple Fossoways" for the same reason]].
* ArcVillain: Aerion Brightflame essentially functions as the BigBad for this novella, [[spoiler:being a cruel tormentor to his own brother, Egg, and setting off the climax of the story when he attempts to assault Tanselle and is repelled by Dunk; this leads to Aerion accosting Dunk on trumped-up charges and the subsequent Trial by Seven, where Ser Duncan defeats Aerion and clears his named.]] The aftermath of this leads to Aerion [[spoiler:being exiled by his father, who has come to a HeelRealization following his accidentally killing his brother during the Trial and who arranged for Ser Duncan to take Egg as his squire.]]

* LegendaryInTheSequel: Readers of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' know that [[spoiler:Ser Duncan the Tall becomes the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and that Egg becomes King Aegon V "The Unlikely", one of the last good kings of the Targaryen dynasty. They also know sadly, that they die in an event called "Tragedy at Summerhall".]]

* ConflictingLoyalty: Much like Ser Jaime Lannister several decades in the future, Ser Duncan experiences this even on the smallest scale. He's sworn his sword to Ser Eustace Osgrey to defend his lands and people from the Webbers, [[spoiler:but Eustace is a former supporter of the Blackfyre pretenders and so a traitor, and Lady Rohanne hates him for foolishly entering a conflict that led to her beloved Ser Addam dying on the opposite side. Moreover, Dunk likes and admires Lady Rohanne]]. Dunk's real commitment is protecting the common people who Eustace is forcing into preparing for a battle that will get them butchered.

* CallBack: Dunk advises Ser Glendon to [[spoiler:use a tourney lance against Daemon during his trial by combat instead of a war lance, as it is longer and will allow him to unhorse Daemon before Daemon's war lance even touches Ser Glendon.]] This is the same trick Prince Baelor used in ''The Hedge Knigt''.

''Tales of Dunk and Egg'' is a series of novellas written by Creator/GeorgeRRMartin. It takes place in the same universe and continuity of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' but is set nearly a century before the events of the main series. Although a {{Prequel}}, the series does not feature any of the major recurring characters in the main series [[note]] Aemon Targaryen, later Maester Aemon, is mentioned but so far hasn't appeared, and Walder Frey shows up as a toddler [[/note]] and features a completely different set of characters and events, some of which were only alluded to as NoodleIncident or GreatOffscreenWar in the main text but which are explored in fuller detail here.

''Tales of Dunk and Egg'' is a series of novellas written by Creator/GeorgeRRMartin. It takes place in the same universe and continuity of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' but is set approximately a century before the events of the main series. Although a {{Prequel}}, the series does not feature any of the major recurring characters in the main series and features a completely different set of characters and events, some of which were only alluded to as NoodleIncident or GreatOffscreenWar in the main text but which are explored in fuller detail here.

[[folder: 1. The Hedge Knight]]

[[folder: 2. The Sworn Sword]]

* MistakenAge

* RunningGag: Egg's fear of being poisoned.

[[folder: 3. The Mystery Knight]]

* ArcWords: "How many eyes does Lord Bloodraven have?" and "A thousand eyes, and one."

[[/folder]]

* FemmeFatale: A medieval version, but Lady Webber hits all the points - beautiful, manipulative, BelligerentSexualTension with the hero, even the sympathetic point-of-view.

* SillyReasonForWar: Discussed. Rohanne points out that events like this 'pissing contest' over water rights are how nobles judge each others strength, and worse will happen if she doesn't put up a strong front.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Not by much, but a good deal so compared to the earlier two stories.

* {{Jerkass}}: Ser Uthor Underleaf, Ser Gormon Peake, most of the Blackfyre Rebels save, oddly enough, for [[spoiler:John the Fiddler and even Ser Glendon Flowers]].