A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is already carving out its own corner of Westeros, but Episode 2, Hard Salt Beef, makes one thing clear: this is still very much a Targaryen story. Even though the series is physically and politically removed from the Iron Throne, the bloodline that defined both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon is front and center once again.
Set roughly 80 years after the events of House of the Dragon and about 100 years before Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms serves as a crucial bridge between the two eras. With the arrival of multiple Targaryen royals at the Ashford tourney, the show quietly connects Rhaenyra and Daemon’s legacy to Daenerys’ eventual rise—and gives longtime fans a lot to chew on in terms of dynastic history.
The Targaryen Presence in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
While earlier episodes focused more on hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) and his mysterious squire Egg, Hard Salt Beef pulls back the curtain on the reigning royal family. Four Targaryens appear in this episode, establishing where the dynasty stands between civil wars and dragons.
We’ve already seen new members of great houses like the Baratheons through Lyonel Baratheon, but it’s the Targaryens who carry the deepest narrative weight. Their presence makes it clear that this isn’t just a side story—it’s a vital chapter in the larger Targaryen saga that links the doomed house of dragons to both Rhaenyra Targaryen and Daenerys Targaryen.
Baelor Breakspear: Rhaenyra and Daemon’s Great-Great-Grandson
One of the most important Targaryens introduced in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is Baelor Targaryen, played by Bertie Carvel. Known to book readers as Baelor Breakspear, he is the current heir to the Iron Throne and serves as Hand of the King. Crucially, he is a direct descendant of House of the Dragon’s central pairing: Rhaenyra Targaryen and Daemon Targaryen. In fact, Baelor is their great-great-grandson.
Visually, Baelor doesn’t immediately read as a classic Targaryen. He lacks the signature silver-blond hair, instead taking more after his Martell forebears on his mother’s side. But while he may not look like a stereotypical dragonlord, his behavior toward those beneath him—especially Dunk—marks him as one of the most honorable men in the realm.
Hard Salt Beef showcases Baelor as measured, fair, and surprisingly empathetic for a royal. This is a man who listens, who judges carefully, and who respects bravery and integrity even in a lowborn hedge knight. Those traits have already made him a respected leader, even though his father still sits the Iron Throne.
Baelor’s nickname, Breakspear, comes from his martial reputation. Though the show has yet to dwell on his exploits, George R. R. Martin’s lore describes him as a formidable warrior. He earned great acclaim after outstanding performances in tourneys at a young age and played a pivotal role in quelling the First Blackfyre Rebellion, the bloody civil conflict that pitted Targaryen loyalists against a rival branch of the family.
While Baelor is not fighting in the Ashford tourney in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the series makes it clear that he is already a proven commander and veteran of war. His presence at the event—and his measured handling of its escalating conflicts—grounds the story firmly in the larger currents of Targaryen politics.
Valarr Targaryen: The Next Generation of Breakspear’s Line
Continuing Baelor’s line is his son, Valarr Targaryen, portrayed by Oscar Morgan. Valarr is another canon figure drawn from Martin’s writings, and though the series has only begun to show him, his inclusion is significant for understanding the state of the royal family.
In Hard Salt Beef, Valarr participates in the joust that Dunk and Egg watch from the stands. The show doesn’t linger on him much beyond this, but his role in the background indicates that the next tier of Targaryen princes is already coming into its own.
According to the books, Valarr is married to Kiera of Tyrosh, a political match that reflects the Targaryens’ tendency to weave foreign alliances into their dynasty. They have no living children, which quietly raises questions about succession and the future of the line, especially in a house as obsessed with heirs as the Targaryens.
Collectively, Baelor and Valarr are living proof that the bloodline of Rhaenyra and Daemon has not only survived but flourished eight decades after House of the Dragon. Regardless of what ultimately happens in that prequel’s remaining seasons, we already know that some branch of their family carries on the dragon legacy deep into the next century.
Maekar Targaryen: The Ancestor Who Links to Daenerys
If Baelor connects A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to House of the Dragon, Baelor’s brother Maekar is the thread that leads directly to Game of Thrones. Played by Sam Spruell, Maekar is arguably the most important Targaryen in the series when it comes to tying into Daenerys’ story.
Maekar is Daenerys Targaryen’s great-great-grandfather—and not just through one line, but through both of her parents, thanks to generations of intra-family marriage. That makes him an equally distant ancestor from the perspective of both Rhaella and Aerys II, Daenerys’ parents, firmly planting A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms right in the middle of the Targaryen family timeline.
Like Baelor, Maekar is a veteran of the First Blackfyre Rebellion and a key player in defeating Daemon Blackfyre. But unlike his brother, Maekar comes across as the harsher, more rigid, and more volatile sibling. Where Baelor is diplomatic, Maekar is flinty and quick to anger.
Hard Salt Beef introduces Maekar on what is arguably one of the worst days of his life. He’s just learned that two of his sons have gone missing on the way to Ashford, and he is surrounded by rumors and tension. His stiff demeanor toward Dunk is filtered through that anxiety and fear, which complicates his first impression. He is not warm, but he is clearly deeply concerned for his children.
Maekar’s Sons: Daeron, Aerion, Aemon, and Aegon
Maekar mirrors his own father, King Daeron II, by having four sons of his own: Daeron, Aerion, Aemon, and Aegon. Each of them plays a vital role in connecting this series to the broader Targaryen mythos.
Aemon, already familiar to Game of Thrones fans, is away in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, training at the Citadel to become a maester. Viewers will recognize him later as Maester Aemon of the Night’s Watch, the wise old Targaryen at Castle Black who guides Jon Snow. Knowing where he comes from—and that he once stood just a step away from the line of succession—adds even more depth to his quiet humility in Game of Thrones.
Daeron, the eldest, has a reputation as a dreamer and a drunkard. Maekar disapproves of Daeron’s choices and especially his refusal to revel in traditional noble pastimes like tourneys. Despite that resentment, his worry over the prince’s disappearance during the journey to Ashford reveals that beneath his armor of sternness, Maekar is still a father first.
Aegon, the youngest, is the one fans of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will recognize more immediately: he is Egg, Dunk’s squire. Though Maekar doesn’t yet know the true nature of his son’s absence, fans do, and that secret fuels plenty of tension as the story develops.
Aerion Targaryen: The Insufferable Prince Archetype
Hard Salt Beef also introduces the second-born son, Aerion Targaryen, played by Finn Bennett. He is the first Targaryen prince Dunk directly encounters, and the interaction goes about as badly as possible.
Aerion mistakes Dunk for a servant, then deliberately insults and provokes him, immediately establishing himself as arrogant, cruel, and dangerously entitled. His behavior firmly plants him in a familiar Westerosi archetype: the insufferable prince.
Every iteration of the Targaryen family seems to feature at least one royal who wears their status like a weapon. In Game of Thrones, that role was played by Viserys Targaryen, Daenerys’ abusive older brother. In House of the Dragon, it was most often Rhaenyra’s half-brother Aegon II, whose selfishness and instability had world-shaping consequences. Aerion steps into that tradition here, reminding viewers that for every noble Baelor or wise Aemon, there’s almost always a Targaryen ready to burn everything down out of spite or vanity.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms cleverly uses Aerion to contrast with Baelor’s honor and even with Egg’s genuine decency. Through these three princes, the show demonstrates the full spectrum of Targaryen character: the just, the monstrous, and the quietly heroic.
Why These Targaryens Matter for the Larger Franchise
The Targaryens in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are more than just Easter eggs. They are structural pillars that link three eras of the franchise:
House of the Dragon explores a dynasty at its height, riven by internal conflict.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms shows the long shadow of that conflict and the gradual reshaping of the royal line.
Game of Thrones reveals the final implosion of that dynasty and the scattered survivors who try to reclaim it.
Baelor’s descent from Rhaenyra and Daemon proves that their line endures beyond the Dance of the Dragons.
Maekar’s role as Daenerys’ great-great-grandfather locks this series into her direct ancestry.
Aemon’s absence here and presence later at the Wall shows how far one Targaryen can fall from power—and how much moral strength he can gain in the process.
Egg’s secret identity as Prince Aegon plants the seeds for another future king, whose reign will shape the Targaryen legacy leading into the Mad King’s era.
Even though Ser Duncan the Tall is the protagonist, the royal family’s presence ensures that every choice at Ashford—every tilt, every insult, every judgment—echoes far beyond a single tourney field. This isn’t just a side story about a hedge knight; it’s a key chapter in the slow evolution of the Targaryens from dragonriding conquerors to desperate exiles.
As the season continues, expect the show to deepen these connections, fleshing out the relationships between the princes, the political atmosphere around the Blackfyre threat, and the personal choices that will ultimately define the bloodline Daenerys inherits.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is streaming on HBO Max with new episodes on Sundays, and for fans who care about the bigger Targaryen picture, it’s quickly becoming essential viewing.
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