Egg’s Secret Revealed In A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms

The curtain has finally lifted on one of the most tantalizing mysteries in HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: the true identity of the orphaned squire, Egg. For weeks, fans have speculated about the bald-headed boy’s origins, picking apart every accent, gesture, and slip of the tongue. Now, with the release of Season 1, Episode 3 on February 2, 2026, the show has cracked the case wide open, confirming what sharp-eyed book readers and eagle-eared viewers suspected all along—Egg is, in fact, Aegon Targaryen, the youngest son of Prince Maekar Targaryen and grandson of King Daeron II Targaryen.

The big reveal comes not through a grand announcement, but in the heat of crisis. According to ComicBook.com, the pivotal moment arrives after Ser Duncan the Tall—Egg’s mentor and protector—strikes Prince Aerion Targaryen in retaliation for Aerion’s brutal attack on a Dornish puppeteer. As Aerion prepares to exact a vicious punishment on Dunk, Egg storms into the fray, demanding, “If they do, they’ll answer to my father.” The guards hesitate, and Aerion, more annoyed than surprised, addresses Egg informally, asking about his missing hair. Egg’s reply is simple but loaded with meaning: “I cut it off, brother. I didn’t want to look like you.”

With that exchange, the pieces fall into place. Egg has been hiding in plain sight, his bald head a deliberate disguise to distance himself from his infamous brother, Aerion—a man known for cruelty and excess. As Mashable points out, the shaved head is a classic Targaryen trick. In House of the Dragon, even Targaryen bastards shave their heads to hide their Valyrian features. Egg, though, is no bastard. He is trueborn—and his reasons for hiding are deeply personal. Aerion’s history of tormenting Egg, including vile threats and even tossing his cat down a well, made life at court unbearable. No wonder Egg bolted, seeking a new life as a squire to the honorable Ser Duncan rather than endure the company of a drunken Daeron or the tyrannical Aerion.

But the show has been dropping breadcrumbs from the very start. In the first episode, Dunk encounters a drunken man at a pub who pays with a coin emblazoned with the Targaryen three-headed dragon. Moments later, Egg appears. The implication? Daeron, Egg’s older brother and the one he was supposed to squire for, is the drunkard in the pub—living up to his nickname, Daeron the Drunken. Egg’s absence from the Targaryen camp is thus no accident. He’s run off to find a knight who’ll take him on, and Dunk, with his own humble origins, fits the bill.

Egg’s behavior has always been a little off for a supposed peasant. As Mashable notes, his speech is too formal, his knowledge of tournaments too deep. When Egg calls Dunk “my lord,” it echoes Arya Stark’s slip-ups in Game of Thrones—a dead giveaway of noble blood. And Egg’s reaction to Aerion’s joust in Episode 3, where he screams for Humfrey Hardyng to “kill him,” is hardly the conduct of a commoner. Only a Targaryen prince, immune to the usual consequences, would dare such treasonous talk in public.

There’s also the matter of prophecy. In a quiet moment, a fortune teller tells Dunk he’ll find great riches, then turns to Egg and predicts he’ll become king—and die a painful death to the joy of many. Dunk laughs it off, but Egg is visibly shaken. For a Targaryen, the idea that he might one day wear the crown isn’t so far-fetched, and the shadow of a painful end looms large in his mind. This moment, subtle as it is, foreshadows the unlikely path Egg will walk in the years to come.

So who exactly is Egg in the grand tapestry of Westeros? The answer is as surprising as it is significant. Egg is Aegon Targaryen, Maekar’s fourth and youngest son, only nine years old during the events of the series. He was never meant to be king. In fact, as ComicBook.com details, Aegon is the fourth son of a fourth son—so far down the line of succession that his claim would seem laughable. But Westeros is nothing if not unpredictable. Over the years, tragedy and fate thin the Targaryen ranks. Maekar ascends to the throne in 221 AC, and after his death in 233 AC, a great council is called. With his brother Aemon having taken the vows of a Maester, Egg—Aegon V, later known as “Aegon the Unlikely”—is chosen to rule.

Aegon V’s reign lasts 26 years, marked by uprisings and political strife, but he earns the love of the smallfolk. His relationship with Dunk deepens, with Ser Duncan joining the Kingsguard and eventually rising to Lord Commander. Their partnership, forged in adversity, endures until both perish in 259 AC. The details of their deaths remain shrouded in legend, but their legacy echoes through the halls of power and the memories of those who knew them.

Egg’s story doesn’t end with his death. His lineage continues to shape the fate of Westeros. As ComicBook.com and Mashable both highlight, Daenerys Targaryen—the last scion of her house in Game of Thrones—is Egg’s great-granddaughter in the books and his granddaughter in the television adaptation. The show streamlines the family tree, omitting Egg’s son Jaehaerys II, but the connection is crystal clear. Egg is also the grandfather of the Mad King, Aerys II, and, through the show’s logic, Jon Snow’s great-grandfather. Though Egg himself never appears in Game of Thrones—having died decades before those events—his presence lingers. Maester Aemon, his brother, recalls him with deep affection, especially in his final moments, whispering Egg’s name as he drifts from life.

It’s a testament to the power of family, memory, and legacy that Egg’s story resonates so strongly, even generations later. The revelation of his identity transforms A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms from a simple tale of chivalry into a cornerstone of Targaryen history, linking beloved characters across centuries and reminding viewers that every legend begins somewhere—sometimes with a runaway boy and a shaved head.

As new episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms air Sundays at 10pm ET on HBO and HBO Max, fans now watch with fresh eyes, knowing that every word and action from Egg carries the weight of a future king. The journey from squire to sovereign is a long one, but for Aegon Targaryen, it’s a story for the ages.