One thing I find fascinating is that there are like no good outcomes from the Trial of Seven, it’s a mess any way you slice it.
However a scenario where Dunk dies instead of Baelor is like the worst of them all. Especially if he lives long enough to win and swear himself to Baelor and then dies in Baelors arms.
Like yes he is some no name Hedge Knight and his death absolutely shouldn’t matter but because it’s Dunk the ripple effects are insane.
Egg is never forgiving his family or himself. This is Aerions fault, Aerion has killed his brother/father for doing the right thing and there is no world where that vengeance and hate doesn’t ruin Egg. There is no quiet moment with Maekar as he drops the knife there’s only a grieving child screaming at his father to let go of him so he can rid the world of a monster wearing human skin. He’s never forgiving his father either for helping to get Ser Duncan killed and there is just nothing Maekar can do to bridge that gap with his son. There is rot in his house and now there is no kind Hedge Knight to guide Egg on his future path. I can easily imagine Egg running away to be a Hedge Knight in this scenario as he tries to carry on Ser Duncan’s legacy as best he can.
Baelor is alive but has to live with the knowledge that his family killed the last honourable knight in Westeros. In the same way Baelor haunts Dunks narrative Dunk is forever haunting Baelor. Every time he has to make a ‘dishonourable’ choice as King or is considering a knight before him he can feel Ser Duncan’s gaze in the back of his neck. Cannot look at Aerion ever again. Idk just Baelor judging every knight he meets against the imaginary Ser Duncan the Tall he has on a pedestal in his mind and they (and he) just never living up to those standards. Will not shut the fuck up about the good knight he knew for less than 48 hours. The good man who was for a moment his man.
Targaryen PR? On the floor. The Targaryens don’t care for justice or honour, didn’t you hear about how they killed Ser Duncan the Tall? The man larger and stronger than an elm tree who saved those maidens from the wicked Prince Aerion Brightflame? Yes Breakspear fought for him but we all know he did it so that he could just appear like he cared about justice. It was a rotten thing they did to him and he was right in his reply. Sing the one about the brave knight and the wicked red dragon again won’t you bard? It always goes over well.
Lyonel Baratheon now has a legitimate grievance against the Targaryens 30 years early. Genuinely acting like he’s Ser Duncan’s widow the way he’s grieving and railing against the royal family. They killed his Knight! Somehow gets Dunks shield and has it hanging up in the throne room of Storms End and pointedly brings it with him whenever he gets dragged to court. Baelor sees the shield once and it genuinely nearly kills him. The rest of the time Lyonels there they basically have a grieving widow off (Dunks been dead for a good decade).
Raymun Fosserway (Dunks actual widow) is beyond justified in his hatred of the Targaryens, always said there was something wrong with that family and he was damned right! Green Apple Fosserways grow up knowing that the royals can’t be trusted.
Idk like the fact that if Dunk won and then died in the trial of Seven there should be no ramifications. But because it’s Dunk his death probably brings down House Targaryen a good few decades earlier rather than saving it.
so I've been thinking about a Dunk x Baelor Groundhog Day AU, with the loop starting a few hours before dawn on the day of the trial by seven
1st repeat - Dunk assumes it was a bad dream, doesn’t realise until it’s over that Baelor is about to die. He tries to stop them from taking off his helmet, but it's too late, he has to watch Baelor die again
2nd repeat - Dunk tries to refuse Baelor’s help when he turns up for the trial, Baelor insists, Dunk makes him promise to avoid Maekar. Dunk notices Maekar and Baelor grappling while he’s fighting Aerion, loses concentration, takes a fatal wound, and dies in Baelor’s arms. Thinks this is how things were meant to go after all.
3rd repeat - Dunk thought it would end if he saved Baelor but it hasn't! so he’s really panicking. When Baelor turns up to the trial he refuses his help, and pleads guilty to the charges. He’s sentenced to lose his left hand, and asks Baelor to be the one to cut it off. Once again, he thinks that he’s fixed things, since they’ve both survived the trial. Baelor takes Dunk into his service despite his injury. Unfortunately Aerion turns up once Baelor has left Dunk and suffocates him in his bed
beyond this point, I've got several ideas for things that can happen in the repeats, but without a clear idea of an order
Maekar kills Dunk
Dunk tries to protect Baelor during the trial, one of them accidentally kills Maekar but it’s not clear who. Everyone is devastated by this - Dunk is killed by Aerion in revenge
Dunk refuses to fight, runs away and is killed by guards who go after him. Dies thinking he’s disappointed Baelor and Egg and Ser Arlan [there will probably be several repeats where he tries this, they always end in failure]
in most of the repeats, Dunk keeps trying different things in the trial to save Baelor's life, but all his efforts end with one or both of them dying. His favourite repeats are the ones where he gets to die in Baelor's arms.
Finally, in a version where they both die, as they are both dying together, Baelor tells him that he’s been living this day over and over along with Dunk
So the next time the loop repeats, they're able to begin to put together a plan
The guy I killed in the ring, I hated him. I remember, I knew he was in trouble and I kept going and going until I felt him break. It wasn't an accident. I killed him with hate in my heart. There's no hiding from that, there's no solving it
Posting for the first time in literal ages because WUDM was so good. Josh O'Connor, thank you for your service
Henry to everyone else: Sir Hans Capon is my lord. With my body and soul I serve him. I'm his page, his bodyguard, his escort, his loyal friend, his everything. I'll gladly lay down my life to save his. He's a Very Important Noble, I'll have you know! And he's really cool and also super hot. Did I mention I serve Hans Capon?
Henry to Hans: You little shit. You obnoxious little brat. You're the most annoying creature God ever created. I'll never know peace as long as you're in my life................... mY LorD.
Hans to everyone else: Henry? That nobody. That village yokel. He's such an idiot. He knows nothing of importance. Pay him no mind, he only speaks nonsense.
Hans to Henry: You are everything to me. You are my raison d'être. My feelings for you surpass every language I know. So all I can do is speak in allegories and compare you to every Cool Guy I know, like Hercules and Alexander the Great. I'm willing to risk everything to show you how much I care about you. Oh btw, if you die, I'll literally kill myself.
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