Warning: Major spoilers ahead

In the pouring rain, Dunk buries his Master – Ser Arlan of Pennytree – in a self-dug grave on the hills. He promises to take good care of the three horses left behind and takes his sword before saying his goodbyes.

Sleeping under the tree nearby, Dunk considers what his next step should be – sell the horses and briefly dine like a king, move towards King’s Landing and join the City Watch... or follow in his master’s footsteps as a knight of the realm. With Ser Arlan’s sword, he decides to enter the tourney being held over in Ashford Meadow.

After a moment with an upset stomach, he bids the grave farewell and heads on his way.

Arriving at an inn on route for the night, he encounters a small bald child, who he assumes to be the stable boy. Handing over his horses and requesting they be fed and watered, he heads indoors where he’s handed a drink by the innkeeper. The place is largely empty, save for one other patron passed out across the pub.

With Ashford a day’s ride away, Dunk orders a large meal. The other patron, bearing a Targaryen coin, rouses from his sleep and draws his knife, saying he’s been dreaming about Dunk, telling him to keep away before stumbling upstairs to his bed. The innkeeper tells Dunk not to worry about him.

Checking in on his horses outside, Dunk spots the young boy on the back of his horse, playing make-believe as a knight, and chastises him for using his things without permission. The boy, Egg, notes he doesn’t look like other knights – with his belt made of rope – and asks if he’s entering the tourney. When Dunk says yes, he begs to go with him as his squire.

When Dunk asks if his mother would mind, Egg shares that he doesn’t have one – which softens Dunk, who is also an orphan. He shares that his Master took him in and raised him, and Egg wants something similar, noting to Dunk that ‘every knight needs a squire, and he seems to need a squire more than most’. He tells him he is better off not squiring for the likes of him before heading off toward Ashford.

After another day’s travel, Dunk arrives for the tourney, and the town is bustling with preparations. Approaching a group of knights, he asks to speak to the master of the games, Plummer, who is in a small tower in the castle.

Plummer grills him, questioning his standing as a Knight. Introducing himself as Dunk – or Ser Duncan – he claims he was knighted at the hands of Ser Arlan of Pennytree before he died and was given his sword.

The games master warns him that lying results in him being hung by hands and feet, and that he’ll need a collection of things before entering, including coin, armour and horses, as well as a noble house vouching for his honour.

Heading off to find Ser Manfred Dondarrion in the camp, whom Ser Arlan once fought for, he runs into two courtesans, who mock him as a “hedge knight” – a knight who doesn’t have a Lord to serve, so is forced to sleep in the hedges. They recommend he return another time as Dondarrion is sleeping, and he sheepishly walks off. Speaking to his horses, he vows to get more respect once he’s won his first tourney.

Ser Steffon Fossoway, a knight of House Fossoway of Cider Hall, is seen sparring with his squire, cousin Raymun, making a mockery of Raymun as he does so. He approaches Dunk as he’s passing and offers to train with him, but Dunk declines. Seeking to get away from the crowd, Dunk heads into the woods to bathe in the river and clean up.

When he returns to the base that evening, he sees the courtesans again, who inform him Ser Manfred is still napping. As they continue to tease him, he calls them out for being mean, and they retract what they said, saying they don’t mean any harm, but they’ve met many naive young knights before, and they’ve become immune to them.

That evening, one of the tents features an impressive puppet show, telling stories of the once feared dragons of Westeros, and Dunk – who stands head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd – is taken with the female performer. As he leaves, Ser Steffon’s cousin, Raymun, approaches him and strikes up a conversation, apologising to him for making him try and confront Steffon on his behalf earlier.

Asking if he's hungry, the pair go together to a large tent where everyone is enjoying the festivities. At the top table is Lyonel Baratheon – the heir of house Baratheon, better known as “The Laughing Storm”. Lyonel – who is wearing a large antlered crown, commands the audience with speeches about the creation of jousting and encourages the revelry.

Later in the evening, Dunk is surprised to be called over to Lyonel’s table. Lyonel questions him on his height, whether he’s been punched before, and instructs him to stand tall or he’ll be “branded a heretic and burned”. Lyonel then asks what he’s brought him as an offering, which stumps Dunk who wasn’t aware he needed to bring anything.

This social dismissal angers Lyonel, who believes he’s there for his head, questioning why he’s in his tent otherwise. Dunk, honest to a fault, says that he was just there for supper. Lyonel, erratic as he is, appears to believe him, and soon the pair are dancing together into the night. Lyonel’s moves appear violent, which worries Dunk when he retaliates, but it only seems to make Lyonel like him more.

By the end of the night, they are talking drunkenly together about life and the upcoming tourney. Ser Dunk worries that he doesn’t stand a chance, especially against knights of renown like Lyonel who have been trained by the best. Lyonel responds that going up against a worthy opponent is part of the fun.

After Lyonel calls it a night, Dunk spots Ser Manfred Dondarrion with the two courtesans, and approaches him in the hope he can vouch for him to allow him entry into the tourney. He notes Ser Arlen fought for the Dondarrion’s in war, sustaining injuries for his father.

Unfortunately, Ser Manfred is drunk and barely pays Dunk any attention, dismissing him and claiming no knowledge of Ser Arlen. Many knights were injured in the battle, and even more died. He can’t be expected to remember them all.

Dejected, Dunk heads to his camp site for the night, only to find Egg there with a fire burning, cooking a fish. Dunk is annoyed the boy has followed him, having snuck to Ashford on the back of a lamb cart, but Egg insists he wants to be his squire. To prove it, he’s cleaned the horses and site for him, as well as catching dinner. He asks why Dunk doesn’t have a pavilion or tent, and he says a true knight never needs one, just a tree.

Giving in, Dunk reluctantly agrees to let him be his squire for the tourney. He can’t offer much but he’ll make sure he’s looked after, clothed and fed.

As the pair turn in for the night, they spot a shooting star. Egg mentions that they bring luck to all who see them, and all the other knights will have been sleeping inside their pavilions. Dunk wonders if that means all the luck will be theirs before going to sleep.