George R.R. Martin’s Westeros might be dripping in blood and betrayal, but even he knows one death changed everything. In The Hedge Knight, a seemingly minor supporting character bites the dust, and it quietly rewrote the entire history of the realm. If that moment had gone differently, the ripple effect would’ve shaken up kings, dragons, and entire dynasties.

It’s the kind of “what if” that makes you realize just how obsessed Martin is with the butterfly effect. Forget the throne room drama, this low-key twist in a novella might’ve been one of the biggest plot pivots in Westeros lore.

George R.R. Martin believed Baelor’s death in The Hedge Knight changed everything George R.R. Martin in The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | Credits: CBS

Turns out, one knight’s death in The Hedge Knight nearly flipped the Targaryen timeline on its head at least,...