Things are starting to pick up steam in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms as new challenges and revelations surrounding Dunk and Egg surfaced in Episode 3. The ending showed Dunk striking Prince Aerion and now awaiting his punishment, while his bald squire was shockingly revealed to be a Targaryen prince. It is only about to get more intense, as the Episode 4 teaser hinted at a major new challenge for the duo, which is the Trial of Seven, invoked by Prince Aerion. 

The Trial of Seven is another harsh and merciless tradition, and to understand whether Dunk and Egg will survive, it is important to know what this trial truly means. So, here is a closer look at the Targaryen tradition.

As hinted in Episode 4 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a Trial of Seven is a special kind of trial by combat where seven fighters represent each side. It is tied to the Faith of the Seven and old Andal customs, as people believed the gods would pay closer attention when seven champions fought. If the accused side wins, they will be declared innocent. But if the accused is killed, or cannot find six others to fight beside them, it is taken as a sign of guilt and the gods’ judgment.

Now, if Dunk were to participate in this trial, he must find six other men to fight beside him, as well as win. However, how did Dunk fall into this misery of needing to find six other men to defend him? During Episode 3, Dunk is seen rushing in fury to confront Prince Aerion after he finds him digging a knife into Tanselle’s finger, upset over a puppet show featuring a fictional dragon. 

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That leads to him striking the prince and awaiting punishment. And if this trial happens, which it likely will, it will be the first in a century. But whether he will win the trial or not is something that remains for Episode 4, which is not far from release. 

Episode 4 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, titled Seven, has an unusual release schedule. Instead of waiting for its regular Sunday night slot, the episode will arrive early on streaming. Fans can watch it on HBO Max starting Friday, February 6, at 12:01 a.m. PT / 3:01 a.m. ET. This is to avoid going head-to-head with Super Bowl LX, which airs on Sunday night. 

This has happened before when HBO dropped the fourth episode of The Last of Us Season 1 on streaming service HBO Max on the Friday ahead of Sunday release. Given how the Trial of Seven is shaping up to be an intense battle, perhaps the early arrival is more beneficial to the Super Bowl than A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

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Are you excited for the Trial of Seven in episode 4? Let us know in the comments section before.