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.
