A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin

“Are there no true knights among you?”

Dunk, a hedge knight, is burying his former master, Ser Arlan of Pennytree, in the soft spring ground. He has little, besides a sword and a horse. Though he is neither well trained nor especially well educated, Dunk is an unusually large man and he has a good heart. Looking at his former master, buried anonymously in a random hillside, Dunk decides to risk it all at the tourney in Ashford. If he fights well, perhaps some lord will take Dunk into his service and offer him a home in a castle.

Along the way to Ashford, Dunk meets Egg, a skinny bald kid, at an inn. Egg is bright, though a bit cheeky amongst his elders. Dunk, who grew up a child scrounging for food in Flee Bottom before Ser Arlan took him in, looks at Egg and sees his own story. He agrees to take Egg on as his squire, though he often reflects that the... Read More