Dunk's mettle is put to the test as the brutal trial of seven begins, and Aerion knocks him off his horse in the first charge. Flashbacks to Dunk's childhood years earlier show him and his friend Rafe scavenging from a battlefield, returning to Flea Bottom in King's Landing, and pickpocketing Alester, a City Watchman. Drawn to the promise of a new future, the two try to buy passage to the Free Cities in Essos but cannot afford it. Alester corners them and takes their money; Rafe steals his dagger, and when Alester notices, he slits her throat. Arlan emerges from a tavern and kills Alester, saving Dunk, who then follows Arlan on his travels.
In the present, Dunk duels Aerion on foot until both men collapse from injury. Aerion declares the unconscious Dunk dead, but Egg begs him to get up, and the crowd chants for Dunk as he stands. When the duel resumes, Dunk gets the upper hand, and Aerion yields and withdraws his accusation. In the aftermath, Beesbury and Hardyng are confirmed as killed. Dunk pledges fealty to Baelor, but when Raymun and Pate remove Baelor's helmet, struck by Maekar's mace during the trial, they reveal a fatal wound. Baelor collapses and dies in Dunk's arms.