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Knight of the Seven Kingdoms fans were left stunned by an unexpected death in episode five.

Knight of the Seven Kingdoms continues to surprise fans with the Game of Thrones’ prequel ending on a major cliffhanger this week.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Returning for episode five, entitled In the Name of the Mother, on Sky Atlantic and NOW, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms this week revolved around the dreaded Trial of Seven.

Depicted as a “man of the people”, Prince Baelor “Breakspear” Targaryen (played by Bertie Carvel) surprisingly chose to join Dunk’s (Peter Claffey) in a bid to protect his brother and nephews on the other side.

It was also his way of doing what was right and honorable and initially after the Trial of Seven, it appears that Baelor comes out unscathed.

But unfortunately for him and fans, Baelor didn’t have the happy ending that fans were hoping for.

The two Ser Humfreys Beesbury (Danny Collins) and Hardyng (Ross Anderson) were killed and the prince emerged among the victors after Dunk forced Aerion (Finn Bennett) to yield.

However, when Baelor does take off his helmet, it is revealed that the back of his head had been caved in by Maekar’s (Sam Spruell) mace.

Fans were hopeful that he would still survive but Baelor ultimately dies from his gruesome injuries, leaving his loved ones heartbroken.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, a distraught user wrote: “All of us at Baelor’s funeral,” followed by a crying emoji.

A second exclaimed: “Baelor take me with you,” as another stated: “Baelor Targaryen you will be missed by all.”

Someone else shared: “What I love the most about how A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms portrays Baelor is that he is not just this perfect man who’s inherently good, but rather his goodness and honor is A CHOICE he makes every time.

“One that he could choose differently, and it ultimately makes what he does choose have meaning.”

While a fellow viewer added: “Just want to give a huge round of applause to Bertie Carvel for his performance as Baelor Targaryen.

“He really brought to life one of the best Asoiaf characters.”

Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ showrunner has confessed cutting the scene feels like an error in retrospect.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms returns in just a few hours for its fifth and penultimate episode.

Ahead of episode 5 of the Game of Thrones spin-off, showrunner Ira Parker has admitted they decided to cut one scene that fans have argued is key to understanding the heart of the story.

It comes after one fan pointed out that the HBO and Sky Atlantic show hadn’t included a notable exchange between Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and Steely Pate (Youssef Kerkour) in the build-up to the fateful Trial by Seven from George RR Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas.

In the books, Dunk passes the Smallfolk on the way to the joust when he asks Pete “Why? Who am I to them?” before Pete replies: “A knight who remembers his vows.”

Posting in a Reddit AMA, the fan noted that many readers view this to be “the soul and the moral of the entire novella”, with showrunner Parker admitting he had some regret over cutting the scene from the original script.

“Honestly it was a mistake on my part,” he responded. “Not my first, not my last on this show. That scene was in the script at one point, then fell out.

“I agree that ‘a knight who remembers his vows’ is the soul of this story, but I think that is still very much at the core of the show, even if I stupidly left out this scene… it may not be said explicitly, but Dunk’s actions remain the same.”

Fans respected Parker’s refreshingly candid answer, with one observing: “It’s been so long since the last time i saw showrunner being able to admit they made a mistake.”

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The Trial by Seven requires Dunk to find six other knights to battle the cruel Prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) after the hedge knight attacked the royal in order to save young actress Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford) from his wrath.

HBO’s synopsis for episode 5 suggests we will get some insight into Dunk’s origins, as it reads: “Before Ser Duncan the Tall can learn the fate of his future, he must relive his past.”

The accompanying teaser also shows flashbacks to Dunk’s childhood and his friendship with a young girl, who tells him not to lose his nerve in following the path that lies ahead of them.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5 airs on Monday, February 16 on Sky Atlantic and streaming platform NOW at 3am GMT.

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