Summerhall

In your Summerhall theory that Egg intended to sacrifice his great-grandson, Rhaegar to give life to his dragon eggs.

Knowing Dunk, he would never have gone along with this. Do you think he could have been the one who ignited the wildfire to allow Rhaella and an infant Rhaegar to escape, dooming both him and Egg?

No, that’s not how I see it doing down, for one thing I don’t think Dunk would risk burning down an entire castle filled with people. I think the wildfire was always supposed to be part of the ritual, and Dunk’s role was in rescuing Rhaella and Rhaegar, and then going back in to rescue Egg.

Your animosity toward the Bloodraven is Maekar’s Hand retcon seems odd to me. Their relationship as of 209 isn’t great, but there’s another 20+ years between the current D&E stories and Maekar’s death. Given the enormous amount of events we’re in the dark about in order to avoid spoiling future stories, its seems plausible to me that Bloodraven and Maekar could develop a grudging respect that turns into a working relationship. They’re both no-BS pragmatists on the same side of a protracted war.

“Isn’t great” is selling it short. Maekar exiled himself from court because Bloodraven got picked as Hand. Listen to any time that Egg opens his mouth about Bloodraven, and you hear his father’s hatred and the hatred of the people in his father’ party:

“His Grace should have made my father Hand. He’s his brother , and the finest battle commander in the realm since Uncle Baelor died. Lord Bloodraven’s not even a real lord, that’s just some stupid courtesy . He’s a sorcerer, and baseborn besides.”

“The old High Septon told my father that king’s laws are one thing, and the laws of the gods another,“ the boy said stubbornly. “Trueborn children are made in a marriage bed and blessed by the Father and the Mother, but bastards are born of lust and weakness, he said. King Aegon decreed that his bastards were not bastards, but he could not change their nature. The High Septon said all bastards are born to betrayal … Daemon Blackfyre, Bittersteel, even Bloodraven. Lord Rivers was more cunning than the other two, he said, but in the end he would prove himself a traitor, too. The High Septon counseled my father never to put any trust in him, nor in any other bastards, great or small.”

That’s not just Stannis being mad at Renly over Storm’s End. Maekar thinks that Bloodraven is a false lord, that he’s a sorcerer, and the people around Maekar are saying Bloodraven is a traitor to the crown.

Their mutual antagonism is so clear that even lowly hedge knights know that “Aerys is weak, and when he dies, it will be bloody war between Lord Rivers and Prince Maekar for the crown, the Hand against the heir.“ And at the end of Mystery Knight, it looks like Bloodraven agrees, because he basically tries to take Egg as a hostage against Maekar: ”I have half a mind to take you back to King’s Landing with us…and keep you at court as my… guest.“

Going from this point to Bloodraven as Maekar’s Hand is a complete 180 degree shift. I’m not saying that it’s impossible, but that everything we’ve seen in Dunk & Egg to date is moving in the opposite direction – which from a writerly perspective is GRRM making the task of bringing them together more difficult for himself.

How skilled of a fighter was Ser Duncan the Tall? How much did his lack of formal training affect his abilities?

Initially, Ser Duncan was only so-so, as basically a half-trained kid whose size gave him reach and weight but not much accuracy. And through the events of Hedge Knight, Sworn Sword, and Mystery Knight, he’s definitely learning through the school of hard knocks, although he seems to be much better with the sword than with the lance as of Mystery Knight.

But we know from the WOIAF and the TV show that Dunk got much better at both with time:

“King Aegon V himself rode out to meet them, with his three sons by his side. In the Battle of Wendwater Bridge, the Blackfyres suffered a shattering defeat, and Daemon III was slain by the Kingsguard knight Ser Duncan the Tall, the hedge knight for whom “Egg” had served as a squire…Peace was restored only after the Kingsguard knight Ser Duncan the Tall faced Lord Lyonel in a trial by battle…Ser Duncan of the Kingsguard defeated Lord Lyonel in single combat.”

“…Raised to Lord Commander of the Kingsguard by King Aegon V, his former squire. Led the honor guard that escorted Maester Aemon, formerly of House Targaryen and the Kings uncle, to the Wall. Defeated all challengers at the tourney of Pennytree, which Aegon V held in his honor and named a commoner as the Queen of Love and Beauty. Rescued the daughter of Lord Damon Lannister from Pyke, after her ship was taken by Greyjoy raiders…”

We also know that Dunk was defeated at a tourney by a 16-year old Barristan Selmy, so if you have to get beat, get beat by the best.