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This story contains spoilers for Episode 6 of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Ira Parker intended the very last scene of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” Episode 6 (titled “The Morrow”), to be just “something that was a little funny.”

Sunday’s season finale of the HBO fantasy series ends with everyone, including the royal Targaryen entourage, departing Ashford after the conclusion of the trial and tournament. Just before the credits roll, Prince Maekar, who notices his young son Aegon is once again missing, frantically shouts, “Where the f— is he?”

“To be honest, the very, very, very end was almost just meant as a joke,” the showrunner says during a recent video call. “But I think people — both in my writing camp and in the HBO camp and probably in the world — took that quite literally. So I’ve maybe had to deal with it a little bit more in Season 2 than I was planning to.”

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” showrunner Ira Parker, right, with director Sarah Adina Smith on the set of the fantasy series.

(Steffan Hill / HBO)

Starring Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell as Prince Aegon Targaryen, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is an adaptation of George R.R. Martin novellas set in the same world as his “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. These “Tales of Dunk and Egg” stories take place around 100 years before the events depicted in “Game of Thrones.”

The moment in question could be a big deal for some fans of Martin’s novellas. The scene is not included in “The Hedge Knight,” the book upon which the first season of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is based. Whether Egg had Maekar’s permission to join Dunk’s travels as his squire is left more open ended in the novella itself.

While the young prince said he had his father’s blessing, “it’s not confirmed canonically” in the book, says Parker. “We haven’t done anything egregious here, I don’t think. [And] I believe it from a character perspective. I believe that Egg would do that again, because he’s already done it. We’ve seen him. He runs away. That’s sort of his thing. And he lies to people.”

Without sharing any details, Parker teases the situation will be addressed again next season.

Dunk (Peter Claffey) in the season finale of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

(Steffan Hill / HBO)

The showrunner, who co-created the series with Martin, admits that approaching “The Morrow” was “daunting.” Set in the aftermath of Trial of Seven, Episode 6 involved “a lot of creation” to stretch out the remaining events from the source material.

“Very early on, all of us knew that we weren’t going to add any story,” says Parker, who previously worked on “Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon.” “The story is the story. We’re going to be 100% faithful to the novellas in that respect. But where we could add, because we needed about another 50% of material in order to fill out even our six 30-minute episodes, was going to be in the characters.”

This has meant the show has spent more time with the very relatable Dunk and his precocious charge Egg. Its supporting ensemble including Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings) and Raymun Fossoway (Shaun Thomas), who give Dunk a helping hand, have also been more fleshed out. This has allowed audiences to just “enjoy hanging out in this world.”

“I wasn’t always convinced that people would allow us to do it,” Parker says. “Hanging out in Westeros. It meant a little bit of a slower start. Luckily, people have come along with us on the ride. … We really just hoped that people would be charmed enough by these characters and the story and want good things for Dunk.”

Like “The Hedge Knight,” the episode concludes by teasing Dunk and Egg’s journey to Dorne, but Parker confirms Season 2 will be an adaptation of the second novella, “The Sworn Sword,” which takes place a year and a half or so after the events of “The Hedge Knight” and sees the pair in a part of the Reach.

“I love ‘The Sworn Sword’ because I think it’s very funny, and I think the sort of ‘will they / won’t they’ between Dunk and Lady Rohanne is just good territory for us,” he says. (Parker said they considered setting Season 2 in Dorne but that it would have taken too much time to flesh out the story even with Martin’s notes.)

In a conversation edited for clarity and length, Parker discussed his collaboration with Martin, every aspect of the show being a reflection of Dunk, and “A Knight of the Nine Kingdoms.”

Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings), left, and Dunk (Peter Claffey) while a maester (Paul Murphy) looks over the injured hedge knight.

(Steffan Hill / HBO)

The show is called “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” but in the finale, Egg points out to Dunk that there are actually nine kingdoms in Westeros. Can you explain that moment and actually showing the alternate title card?

The situation is so overwrought in this episode. With Baelor’s death and with everything that Egg has gone through, which we see him struggling with. Where Dunk’s head is at, going off alone again. The fact that they both get together is wonderful and uplifting, but we sort of had to reassure the audience — that even though Egg is now officially a prince and Dunk knows that, and this tragedy has come to pass between the two of them, the core of that relationship, what we learned to love about their relationship before all of this happened, actually still remains. So that was the importance of having a type of conversation like that. It didn’t necessarily have to be the conversation about the kingdoms, but just Egg, in his way, making sure that Dunk never feels like he knows anything. And it is a wink to the audience and to the fans [who have raised questions about the number], but we’re not changing the name of the show.

You mention Egg’s struggles and we do see just how much anger he has toward his brother Aerion in this episode. What were your thoughts on depicting that onscreen and what it says about Egg?

I talked to George a little bit about Egg and his motivations early on, and George said kids feel disappointment more acutely and that that is a huge part of it. It’s not to be discounted. I don’t want to go out there and say it’s because of Targaryen trauma and everything he’s been through. He’s a boy. Things were happening that were very nice for him that he was very happy about. Then it was all taken away and he blames people. He feels like he’s caused all these problems [for others], and when that doesn’t have a place to land, that’s what turns into anger. It just sort of brews up inside of you.

He sees Aerion as the true cause of all this. At that young age, he doesn’t know how to undirect that. He has some sort of a father there in Maekar. But the fact that he ends up with Dunk, that’s the whole story of Episode 6. Is Dunk, after all this, going to decide to save this kid who is just going to be thrown to the wolves otherwise? Who’s not going to get what he needs to direct his frustration and his disappointments to good energy targets? Kids who have that end up, generally, in better situations than kids who don’t.

It’s very important for me to show the importance of having a mentor in your life. We’re obviously very thematically about fathers and sons, knights and squires, and, to a certain extent brothers. But it is, at the core of it, what it is to have a teacher. Dunk had that in Ser Arlan. Dunk certainly has no obligation to do anything for this family at this point and he does it … because it was done for him. So he’s paying it forward, being a benefit to the person next to him.

Dunk (Peter Claffey) is ready for his next journey.

(Steffan Hill / HBO)

That’s one thing that sets Dunk apart. He’s one of the few people we see in this world who believes in doing good and that that’s what he’s supposed to be doing.

There’s an addition to that, which is that he wants so badly to do good and do right by his mentor who taught him what a knight was supposed to be. But there is this feeling that the world isn’t going to let you do that. We see somebody like Ned Stark, who’s very honorable, [but] probably suffered ultimately from his naivety — his belief in others. Dunk, I think, has one extra level. Or maybe I’m just projecting that onto him because sometimes I think about how to protect myself in this world where not everybody always has the best intentions. You so badly want to do good, but then there’s also the reality of that, and a big part of Dunk’s early journey in this world is learning those lessons.

Maybe that’s just because my head is also stuck in Book Two, where I think that is brought even more to the forefront. But he’s never going to change. He’s always going to be hopeful.

You did a Reddit AMA recently and you responded to someone who had asked about the show’s production budget that everything in this show was a reflection of the lead character. Can you explain what you meant by that?

It’s very chilling at the beginning to realize that you have one [point of view] character, but then when you realize how many facets go into making up that one person — from costumes, cinematography, music, everything — you realize you actually are telling a lot of different stories, just about one person and how they relate to the world. You have to make sure that that is one hell of an immersive experience, because it’s not like you could just have an audience member tune out if they don’t like the Dunk story this week. We had to make you feel in every single episode that you are in that situation, that you can somehow relate to Dunk and what he’s going through. This is because it’s about to get even tougher for him. Hopefully the people who come to us for the light, fun, enjoyable take on Westeros will stick with us through some of the harder, trickier, grimmer moments. Because this is George R.R. Martin’s world, and it gets dangerous.

But it was actually a very nice, natural way for us to differentiate ourselves [from the other shows]. We’re not a prequel. These are novellas that have existed for 30 years. It’s more organic. Rather than being so grand and epic in scale, it’s still small and simple and hopeful. [Dunk’s] still basically just a kid. It’s two kids setting out to have a little bit of fun. There’s got to be some some whimsy about it. That very easily allowed us to find our own voice.

Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) has a lot of anger for his older brother.

(Steffan Hill / HBO)

How is it like to work with George R.R. Martin?

He has been wonderfully collaborative. It’s been the most fulfilling creative partnership of my whole life. A lot of people can start out in this industry reading your stuff and telling you what they think is wrong without asking you why you did something the way that you did it. Giving you the benefit of the doubt and the conversation jumping off from there, George is very good at that. Whenever he would call me about a new script, we’d talk out what’s in my head in the version of events that led me down this path. And then he talks about why he either did it another way or has issues with it. It becomes a very natural conversation. It’s an extension of a writer’s room with a living legend, one of the greatest living writers in the world today. He just likes talking about this stuff with you, and I like talking about it with him.

What were your earliest conversations with him about “Dunk and Egg” like? Did you already have an idea of how you wanted to do the show before you talked to him?

I swung pretty wildly at the beginning from the point where HBO sent it to me — where I thought “Game of Thrones” shows are 10 episodes, an hourlong each, how could we possibly do that with these three novellas — to finding out what HBO’s intentions were for it, finding out what George’s intentions were for it. Having conversations with George about what he likes, why Dunk is his sole POV character. Why, for example, he never wrote any Egg chapters. He has so many specific thoughts on all of this that that really helped inform what my approach was going to be.

I think it was very important for me to go into that first meeting, when I flew to Santa Fe to meet him, with a mile-high preparation. I knew everything possibly in and around this world and these characters, and I had a lot of pitches, if it came to that. But I didn’t go in there and lead with that. I just went and I sat down and we had conversations. I asked a lot of questions and I listened a lot. And then I went back and I re-formed and I went off and wrote a pilot. Then we were off to the races.

Raymun Fossoway (Shaun Thomas), left, was a true friend to Dunk (Peter Claffey).

(Steffan Hill / HBO)

You worked on “House of the Dragon,” which is such a different show, even though it’s in the same world. How did your time there affect how you wanted to approach this show?

That room was one of my favorite rooms that I’ve ever been in. Ryan Condal is a true writer’s writer. He has so much love for this world. It’s funny because everybody thinks comedy rooms are just so funny all the time, everybody’s cracking jokes, and drama rooms are so serious because of the material. It’s actually often the exact opposite. In drama, because comedy is not currency, everybody’s just cracking jokes all the time. And Ryan has such a sharp wit; we share a very similar sense of humor. I think it was him who put me forward for this to HBO when they were looking for a writer for “Dunk and Egg,” and I’m very grateful.

Our room for “Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” was very different. We hired all drama writers, just people that have different sensibilities. I felt like I was living my very best days. We had 11 days in that writer’s room because the writers’ strike shut us down so quickly, but we knew that that was coming up. So we got going as fast as we possibly could and we broke as much as we could. Then I assigned scripts the very last day. But those 11 days in that room, I think we broke, ultimately, 20 seasons of a show by accident.

We were having so much fun, we were creating it all for the first season. We did it all for six episodes. As soon as we got back from the strike, a few of my writers were just like, “How do you expect us to write 35-minute episodes with these beats to be broken?” We pulled it a lot, lot back from what that was, but writers rooms are the happiest place on Earth, or least lonely place on Earth. It’s not always happy — it’s hard sometimes.

Nicolás Fernández scored on a penalty kick in the second half and New York City FC tied the Galaxy 1-1 in a season opener on Sunday before a sellout crowd of 30,510 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Newcomer João Klauss needed 90 seconds to win the hearts of Galaxy fans, scoring with assists from Marco Reus and Joseph Paintsil for a 1-0 lead. L.A. worked a cash-for-player trade with St. Louis City to acquire Klauss on a one-year deal, hoping he’ll ease the loss of superstar Riqui Puig for a second straight season after complications from a torn ACL.

Los Angeles maintained the lead until Emiro Garces was sent off the field for a second yellow card, setting up a successful PK for Fernández that tied it in the 66th minute and left the Galaxy a man short. Fernández scored five goals in 19 appearances with L.A. last season.

Novak Micovic did not have a save in his 25th career start for the Galaxy — 20 of them coming last season when the 24-year-old allowed 37 goals.

Matt Freese, the reigning goalkeeper of the year, saved six shots for NYCFC — four in the first half. Freese had eight clean sheets in 31 starts last season on his way to the award.

NYCFC is coming off a loss to eventual MLS Cup champion Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference Final last season.

The Galaxy are hoping to rebound from a disastrous season that saw them endure a league-record 16-match winless streak — one year after beating the New York Red Bulls to win the MLS Cup.

A half dozen little kids have come out of the bleachers seeking high fives from any Palisades High basketball player. Jack Levey, the smallest player on the court, responds to the delight of the fanatics. Receiving recognition and giving back to those rooting for you is among the most memorable parts of the high school sports experience.

Palisades is on the verge of winning its first upper division City Section basketball championship since 1969. The Dolphins will play Cleveland on Friday night at 8 p.m. at L.A. Southwest College for the Open Division title.

Levey, a 5-foot-10 junior guard, is the secret weapon who shows up when the Dolphins’ three stars — freshman Phillip Reed and junior twins EJ and OJ Popoola — need a little help.

“All the attention is on them,” he said. “I’m always open.”

His contribution comes in the form of making three-pointers.

“I practice all the time,” Levey said. “Any time I’m in the gym, I’m shooting threes. That’s why I know if I’m going to play in college, I have to be able to shoot threes.”

If he’s not shooting 400 threes a day at practice, he’s in the backyard at home in Westchester shooting threes on a hoop, with his father feeding him passes.

He has made 103 threes this season. During Palisades’ 71-56 semifinal victory over San Pedro on Saturday night, he stole the ball and was leading the fast break for what looked like could have been a breakaway layup. Instead, he pulled up on the wing and made a three.

“I’m more comfortable shooting a transition three than getting to the basket,” he said. “I feel like a three is a layup.”

Coach Jeff Bryant has given him the green light to pretty much shoot from anywhere. In a game against Westchester this season, he was 11 for 12 from three-point range.

Jack Levey celebrates a big win in the Dolphins’ return to their home court against Western League rival Fairfax.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“I couldn’t miss,” he said. “It was so fun. It was the best.”

Other coaches in the Western League know they must pay attention to Levey or suffer the consequences.

“He’s one person we game plan for to limit his looks,” University coach Steve Ackerman said. “He’s an exceptional three-point shooter and has even improved over last season.”

Levey’s journey wasn’t necessarily supposed to turn him into a three-point shooter. Growing up, he was usually the tallest player on his youth team. Then he stopped growing and saw others pass him by. When he entered high school, he had to re-invent himself.

“I thought I was going to be 6-3,” he said. “I have to be able to shoot the ball.”

You’d have to know nothing about basketball these days to fail to guess who his favorite player is.

“Steph Curry,” he said. “That’s my GOAT.”

In a season where the overall talent level in City Section basketball probably reached a new low, the young talent at Palisades provides a starting point to move forward. Reed, the talented freshman, had 29 points Saturday in the semifinals.

And from a fan perspective, waiting for Levey to launch one of his threes offers a moment of excitement and entertainment that even makes little kids look up and put down their video games to see if the ball goes in.

LAFC kicked off the MLS season with a 3-0 statement win over reigning champion Inter Miami at a packed Coliseum on Saturday night, giving new coach Marc Dos Santos his first win.

The matchup featured Miami star Lionel Messi and attracted an announced crowd of 75,673, the second-largest for a regular season game in MLS history and the largest for a season opener.

It was LAFC’s ninth win in season-opening games, another record for the club.

Miami tried to impose its game plan early, with several attacks down the right side of the field, and focused on making Messi the focal point of its attack. However, LAFC controlled possession and by the 12th minute already had generated two clear scoring opportunities through Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga.

Son had a great chance during a one-on-one matchup against Canadian goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who managed to alter the LAFC winger‘s shooting angle and prevent a goal.

After a poor clearance by Miami, Stephen Eustáquio stole the ball and quickly passed to Son, who saw David Martínez running and sent a deep pass for him. Martínez crossed the ball past Clair, with the Venezuelan opening the scoring in the 37th minute to give LAFC a 1-0 lead.

Martínez had a chance to score again during first-half stoppage time when he took advantage of a defensive error on the right side of the field, but this time his shot grazed the visiting goalkeeper’s right post.

Miami responded with an attack, during which Messi had the perfect angle for a shot from the left, but it sailed close to LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris’ top right post and did not reach the back of the net.

In the second half, Miami came out determined to push LAFC back into its own territory by advancing its lines and looking to support Germán Berterame.

Dos Santos’ team played a waiting game, and its patience paid off when it scored its second goal in the 72nd minute. Son was at midfield when he passed back to Mathieu Choinière, who fed Timothy Tillman, who sent a long pass to Bouanga. The French striker took advantage of Clair’s poor clearance by chipping the ball over the goalkeeper’s head to take a 2-0 lead.

When it looked like that would be the final score, Bouanga slipped away down the left wing and, despite defensive pressure, managed to send in a cross that new substitute Nathan Ordaz tapped in to give LAFC a 3-0 lead during second-half stoppage time.

For LAFC, the match marked the beginning of a new era following the departure of coach Steve Cherundolo, who led some of the most successful chapters in the club’s history, including its first MLS Cup title in 2022.

LAFC opted to maintain continuity under Dos Santos, who was promoted from the assistant coaching ranks following Cherundolo’s exit at the end of last season.

Miami arrived in Los Angeles as the team to beat, with high morale and ambition to defend its title.

The club has had historic seasons, including combined scoring records in the regular season and playoffs, and has consolidated its project with world-renowned figures who have transformed its impact on and off the field.

Under the leadership of coach Javier Mascherano, Miami faces a new season with a mix of experience and youth.

The presence of Messi — who won most valuable player awards and the Golden Boot last year — remains the focus of media and competitive attention for the club.

A season of frustratingly unfortunate events for USC had led here, to this nightmarish crescendo at the one-minute mark Saturday, in a must-win matchup.

Through a roller-coaster afternoon, the Trojans had navigated one wave after another, riding several hot streaks and surviving the cold ones, knowing full well that their NCAA tournament hopes hinged on a win over Oregon, one of the Big Ten’s worst teams.

All that stress seemed to subside as USC took a six-point lead with 70 seconds remaining. Any rational onlooker would assume that the Trojans had held on for good, dispatching of the Ducks.

But then Oregon scored on a layup. It stole the ball back. And it hit a three-pointer.

USC coach Eric Musselman reacts after a play during the Trojans’ loss to Oregon Saturday at the Galen Center.

(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

USC clung to a one-point lead as freshman Alijah Arenas stepped back for a jumper that clanged away. Kam Woods missed a tip. Then, Oregon got the ball back and drew a foul.

Two free throws from Oregon’s Nate Bittle dealt USC one final, unbelievable blow to their Saturday — and perhaps their season — handing the Trojans a devastating 71-70 loss.

Their hopes of making the NCAA tournament aren’t necessarily dead as of Saturday. Four games still remain for the Trojans to build their case before the Big Ten tournament. But two of those come against UCLA and another against Nebraska, one of the best teams in the Big Ten this season.

USC had hoped Chad Baker-Mazara‘s return from injury would help lift them to a victory Saturday. Baker-Mazara led all scorers with 21, but he also fouled out late, during that final possession.

Arenas struggled most of the afternoon, before scoring 11 in the second half. But it was his turnover in the final seconds that ultimately handed Oregon the win

Baker-Mazara hadn’t played since the beginning of February, and in back-to-back losses to Illinois and Ohio State, the Trojans undoubtedly missed his spark. If not for a late game winner in State College from Arenas, they would’ve dropped all three games played without Baker-Mazara.

The circumstances ultimately left USC in a must-win scenario Saturday, if it hoped to continue clinging to the edge of the NCAA tournament bubble. Oregon had, on the other hand, spent most of the season in the Big Ten cellar. It entered Saturday’s matinee with losses in 11 of its last 12 games.

There was no such urgency in Baker-Mazara upon his return. The sixth-year senior sang and danced his way through warm-ups, before opening the game on a stationary bike in the corner of the arena.

But upon checking in, he jolted the Trojans offense to life with 13 straight points.

The boost Baker-Mazara provided eventually ran out of gas. USC hit just three of its final 14 shots before halftime, and Oregon stormed out in front.

The Ducks did the same in the second half, albeit in much more devastating fashion, leaving USC with a much harder road ahead.