HBO’s latest prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, follows the journey of Dunk, a towering, good-hearted warrior known for his physical strength and steadfast sense of honor. For longtime viewers of Game of Thrones, that description may feel strikingly familiar — and intentionally so.

Episode five, titled “In the Name of the Mother,” includes a subtle visual callback that connects Dunk to another famed knight who lives roughly a century later in the Westerosi timeline: Brienne of Tarth. The parallel appears in a brief flashback showing a young Dunk walking along the kingsroad with his childhood friend Rafe as they return to King’s Landing. The kingsroad, which stretches thousands of miles across the Seven Kingdoms, serves as a major artery of travel to and from the capital.

Fans may recall that in season four of Game of Thrones, Jaime Lannister sends Brienne away from King’s Landing on a mission to locate and protect Sansa Stark. Accompanied by Podrick Payne, Brienne travels down the very same wooded road. Showrunner Ira Parker confirmed that this mirrored moment was deliberate. Both scenes were filmed on the same road in Belfast, Ireland, using the same tree-lined setting. The detail isn’t highlighted onscreen, but devoted fans may notice the connection — a quiet nod to Westeros’ cyclical history.

The deeper link between Dunk and Brienne goes beyond shared scenery. Author George R. R. Martin has confirmed that Brienne is a descendant of Dunk. While the “Tales of Dunk and Egg” novellas — beginning with The Hedge Knight — chronicle Dunk’s early adventures, they do not fully explore this aspect of his legacy. However, hints appear throughout Martin’s larger body of work, including The World of Ice & Fire and A Feast for Crows. In the latter, Brienne remembers seeing a shield bearing Dunk’s sigil in her father’s armory, suggesting a familial connection to House Tarth.

Dunk’s character arc closely mirrors Brienne’s in meaningful ways. Born an orphan in Flea Bottom, the poorest district of King’s Landing, Dunk rises from obscurity after serving as squire to Ser Arlan of Pennytree. Following Arlan’s death, Dunk struggles to gain recognition as a true knight. With no noble lineage, wealth, or patron to vouch for him, he even faces doubts about whether he was properly knighted at all. To bolster his credibility, he begins calling himself “Ser Duncan the Tall.”

Yet history ultimately proves his worth. Dunk’s young squire, Egg, eventually ascends the throne as King Aegon V Targaryen. After years of shared adventures, Aegon appoints Dunk as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard — the highest honor a knight can achieve in Westeros. His legacy endures for generations; in Game of Thrones, his name appears in the Book of Brothers, where Joffrey Baratheon remarks on the four pages detailing Dunk’s deeds.

Brienne’s journey reflects many of these same themes. Though she is high-born as the daughter of Lord Selwyn Tarth, she faces ridicule for defying gender expectations. Women cannot officially be knighted in Westeros, and her martial ambitions are often mocked. Nevertheless, through loyalty and perseverance, she earns respect. In the season eight episode titled “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” Jaime knights her, and she ultimately becomes the first woman to serve as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard under King Bran.

In her final scene, Brienne writes in the same Book of Brothers that honors Dunk. Given her courage and service, it seems only fitting that her pages may one day rival — or surpass — those of her legendary ancestor.