George R.R. Martin is working on a fourth Dunk and Egg novella, according to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker. That is welcome news for readers, although it comes with a familiar qualification: nobody has announced when it will be finished, what it will be called, or whether it will arrive before The Winds of Winter.

Parker offered one intriguing detail in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter: “Book four, which George is working on, takes place in a very cool location.” The comment confirms active work on another adventure for Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire Egg, but it does not fully settle which planned story Martin will complete first.

That uncertainty matters because Martin has been developing two possible follow-ups, one connected to Winterfell and another set in the Riverlands.

Is the fourth story set in Winterfell?

Winterfell is the obvious candidate for Parker’s “very cool location,” and not merely because the castle has difficult weather. Martin wrote in 2014 that a planned novella would take place there and involve “a group of formidable Stark wives, widows, mothers, and grandmothers” whom he called the She-Wolves.

The story has often been referred to as The She-Wolves of Winterfell, but Martin described that as a working title rather than a final one. It would expand the history of House Stark through women who held the family together during a complicated period, giving the series a different perspective from its usual wandering-knight structure.

Still, the identification is not confirmed. The Hollywood Reporter reported in January that Martin began writing two Dunk and Egg stories in 2025: the Winterfell tale and a Riverlands story known as The Village Hero. Martin has previously said he did not know which would be completed first.

Parker’s clue points north, but it is not quite a publication announcement. Until Martin identifies the manuscript himself, “book four” could still refer to either project.

Why HBO may need more than three novellas

Martin has published three stories about Dunk and Egg:

  • The Hedge Knight in 1998
  • The Sworn Sword in 2003
  • The Mystery Knight in 2010

They were collected as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in 2015. The adventures begin roughly 90 years before A Game of Thrones, when Egg is still traveling in disguise. He eventually becomes King Aegon V Targaryen, while Dunk rises to become Lord Commander of his Kingsguard.

That long arc gives HBO plenty of history to explore, but only three completed novellas currently exist. Parker told The National that Martin supplied approximately 10 to 12 additional outlines covering events across the characters’ lives. He has also said the production knows the major canonical milestones, even when it does not have every detail of the unwritten stories.

The arrangement creates an obvious adaptation risk. HBO has extensive plans, but plans are not finished books. Game of Thrones already demonstrated what can happen when a television production catches up with its source material. This time, everyone can at least see the problem approaching from a considerable distance.

Martin acknowledged the imbalance in January, telling The Hollywood Reporter that he had written only three novellas while many more Dunk and Egg stories remained in his head.

Dexter Sol Ansell is expected to remain Egg

Parker’s proposed solution involves allowing the television series and its young star to age together. Dexter Sol Ansell plays Egg opposite Peter Claffey as Dunk, and the showrunner does not intend to replace him simply because later stories require an older character.

“Five is the last story point of Egg as a boy,” Parker said. He suggested the series could pause after that stage and return when Ansell is older, shifting toward Egg’s life as a prince and placing more emphasis on politics in Summerhall and King’s Landing.

Such a break could also move the story away from its early road-adventure format. Parker described it as a chance for the show, its actors and its creative team to evolve together over time. Asked directly whether he would consider casting an older performer as Egg, he replied: “No. Dexter is our Egg. Or, at least, Dexter is my Egg. I have no controlling interest in this property. But Dexter and Peter are my guys.”

The idea carries emotional logic. Viewers would watch the same performers grow into the heavier responsibilities already waiting for their characters. It also depends on less romantic matters, including actor availability, production schedules and HBO remaining committed across potentially lengthy gaps.

What is known about season two?

Season two is adapting The Sworn Sword, a story set during a severe drought. Parker confirmed that direction while speaking to the Associated Press in Gran Canaria. Storms have delayed filming, but he remains confident the season can arrive during the first half of 2027.

The adaptation will apparently include material beyond the published novella. Martin has provided the production with unpublished information that is considered part of the story’s canon, allowing the series to add context without simply inventing a separate version of events.

Some fan theories may also gain renewed attention if the Winterfell story becomes the next published installment. One longstanding theory connects Dunk to Hodor and imagines a meeting between Dunk and a young Old Nan. Martin has not confirmed that theory, so it remains speculation rather than hidden family history waiting for a press release.

For now, the concrete development is narrower but still meaningful: Martin is writing another Dunk and Egg story, and HBO has a broader map for the characters’ lives. What remains missing is the part readers have learned not to assume, namely a completion date, a final title and a firm place in Martin’s crowded publication schedule.