Long before he traversed the seven kingdoms, Ser Duncan the Tall was simply an orphan called Dunk. In the impoverished streets of Fleabottom, he was both a beggar and a thief alongside his close friend, Rafe.
While she does not appear in The Hedge Knight, the George R.R. Martin novella upon which the first season of the TV show is based, the character is mentioned in a later story. Her introduction in the flashback to Dunk’s childhood adds a deeper layer to the overall story.
Here’s who plays Rafe and how A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms expands her role beyond the books.
Actress Chloe Lea plays Rafe in A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms
Image credits: HBO
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms episode 5 opens with Dunk and his champions charging into battle, only for the hedge knight to be rendered unconscious, leading to a flashback to his childhood in Fleabottom.
It is here that viewers meet Rafe, Dunk’s friend, who is first mentioned in the third Tales of Dunk and Egg novella, The Mystery Knight. While the character is implied to be a boy in the source material, the adaptation sees actress Chloe Lea step into the shoes of the orphan thief.
Lea began her acting career at the age of 9, with the role of Rosie Medford in the British police procedural Scott & Bailey. However, HBO viewers might recognize her as Sister Lila in the sci-fi series Dune: Prophecy. She also played the recurring role of Gia in the Apple TV series Foundation.
The series made a major change to Rafe and expanded on her role in the books
Image credits: HBO
The changes to Rafe’s role in the TV adaptation do not end with the character simply being gender-swapped. The makers also turned the minor character from the source material into a love interest for Dunk.
In the novella, Rafe is mentioned as one of Dunk’s three friends, along with Ferret and Pudding. Unlike the series, where she is slain during a street fight with the City Watch guards, her fate in the books is left ambiguous.
Image credits: HBO
Her desire to escape poverty is also an original addition, which showrunner Ira Parker felt provided an unlikely source of motivation for Dunk. In a behind-the-scenes discussion, he explained that although Dunk wants a better life, he is scared.
“He needs Rafe to prod him along. In a lot of ways, the same thing happens to him with Egg. He just needs somebody else to challenge him in a new way,” he said.
Rafe’s fate drastically impacts one key aspect of Dunk’s story
Image credits: HBO
Parker’s comments confirm that Rafe’s addition to the first season was intended to provide more insight into Dunk’s personality and motivations. However, her tragic fate inadvertently creates an inconsistency with his characterization.
In the very first episode, when Dunk is considering his future after Ser Arlan’s passing, he briefly considers joining the City Watch. While the scene is lifted directly from the book, changing Dunk’s backstory has drastic implications for this moment.
Since Dunk is clearly traumatized by Rafe’s demise at the hands of the watchguards, he arguably should be repulsed by the idea of joining the City Watch. Despite the inconsistent characterization, his relationship with Rafe adds another layer to his interactions with Tanselle Too-Tall.
Image credits: HBO
Tanselle bears a strong physical resemblance to Rafe, and both characters serve as a love interest for Dunk. Since he failed to protect Rafe during his childhood, it explains why Dunk intervenes when Prince Aerion attacks Tanselle in the market.
For better or worse, Rafe’s introduction suggests Dunk had extremely personal motivations behind most of his seemingly noble actions in the story.
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms is currently streaming on HBO Max.
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