“The Winds of Winter” is the forthcoming sixth installment in George R.R. Martin’s famed “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. Despite the enthusiastic fan fare behind the series, George R.R. Martin has been in the process of writing the book for more than 3 years, and there is no confirmed release date in sight. When fans last had a glimpse inside the world of Westeros, Cersei’s position in Kings Landing had changed dramatically from when we first met her as the reigning Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, alongside her brutish husband King Robert Baratheon.
In the fifth book “A Dance of Dragons” Cersei power and position started to slip from her grasp, her scheming against Margeary Tyrell backfired. In her attempt to have the new, younger and perhaps even more beautiful Queen framed for adultery and high treason, she is in turn arrested by the High Septon and jailed. Most fans agree that “The Winds of Winter” will complete the demise of Cersei Lannister, despite her lioness pride and prowess, she has too many impending threats and not nearly enough allies. At this point in the series, Cersei must contend with threats from the Tyrells, Aegon VI, the High Septon and of course the outcome of her trial by combat seriously determines whether she lives or dies.
Fans agree that the trial by combat will be the most likely be the end to Cersei, and not because they think her mysterious champion Ser Robert Strong will lose, in fact, he will most likely win, but not before being unmasked. Ser Robert Strong is an unknown knight added to the Kingsguard by King Tommenunder the advisement of Cersei’s only ally Qyburn. In the epilogue of “A Dance of Dragons” Kevan Lannister remembers that Meryn Trant claimed that Ser Robert Strong never ate or drank, and Boros Blount said he had never seen him use the privy.
Most theories claim that Strong is in fact a re-animated undead Mountain, who has now loyally servedthe Lannisters both in life and in death. Fans have seen the inclusion supernatural beings in the “Game of Thrones” series before, and despite having varying origins, these creatures all share one important quality in common—they are all extremely difficult to kill. So like Beric Dondarrion, Lady Stoneheart, and White Walkers, Ser Robert Strong will be difficult to complete in this trial by combat. But the problem still remains that if Ser Robert Strong is exposed as being undead, the whole trial will be invalid.
If his undead origins were exposed during or after the trial, Cersei would be facing even more serious charges in the laws of the Faith. The former Queen regent would face accusations of breaking sacred lawsagainst necromancy from The Faith, meaning her position and more over the Lannisters rule in Kings Landing would come to an end. The continually growing militant of the Faith would revolt against the Lannisters, rendering their control of the Capital useless. The fall of the Lannisters will most likely lead to the rise of the Tyrells, who have always been viewed in a favorable light by those of the Faith and the common folk. After Cersei’s fall and their relinquishment of the crown, Cersei’s children will most likely not fair well in the Capital under the Tyrell’s rule. Cersei will witness the death of all three of her children.
As for love with his brother,
Like all great twin characters in literature, Cersei and Jaime Lannister are incredibly devoted to each other. Unlike the other greats, they also have a lot of sex – with each other. Yikes. There's not much weirder than twincest, especially once you add in the fact that they have kids.
We would love to add a reality check to this (like we've done with most of the Starks) and tell you how old Cersei and Jaime are, but we don't get that information in this book. We also don't get information about their favorite colors or what songs they like to sing. There's actually a lot of information that we don't get about Cersei and Jaime Lannister, because this book isn't really about them. So if you remember the whole incestuous twins thing – and something tells us you will –, you're all set.
My opinion about Cersei is that Without trying to shoehorn my agenda here, I'll piggyback on Robert being more responsible for Joffrey's sociopath tendencies than most readers currently think.
First and foremost, three of the four concerned people are dead. So any new information will have to come in TWOW. (GRRM hassaid we'll learn even more of Robert's Rebellion in the remaining tomes but alas, we wait.)
But what we can do is infer how Joffrey's upbringing might have gone. He's not the most inventive chap, unless he wrote the Dwarfing of Five Kings himself, so I think a lot of his most debased behavior is mimicry.
- He has his Kingsguard beat Sansa. We can be fairly certain he's seen Robert hit his mother. Cersei, however, has taught him he mustn't hit his queen. Based on his lack of forethought and intelligence, Joff undoubtedly thinks this is a perfectly just workaround.
- Joff's posturing and tough talk is practically him channeling Robert. His cruelty to animals is more twisted than Robert's affinity for hunting and mounted trophies, certainly, but you can see in his behavior equal parts wanting to emulate Robert's prowess for killing, and Cersei's inability for empathy.
- Joff's disdain for, or loathsome behavior towards, his siblings is Robert writ young. Over and over we hear of the lack of brotherly love between the Baratheons. Now, we don't hear of torturing each other's pets or anything, but Stannis does kill his own brother for the throne. We chalk that up to Stannis and his red woman and his coldblooded, rule-obsessed nature, but what do we think Robert would have thought of the whole fiasco? I think Robert would be appalled with Stannis for using shadowspawn, but conclude that Renly had betrayed the laws of succession and thus committed treason.
I belabor the point because I've come to view Robert in a rather poor light. From his lack of remorse towards Elia's children, ordering the assassination of a pregnant Dany, and Sansa and Lady at the Darry, we see through Ned just how monstrous Robert can be.
In fact, I don't think Robert and Tywin, the two most influential people in Cersei's life (imo) are that different. Tywin was willing to break the laws of gods and men, and commit legendary brutalities, to vanquish his enemies. Robert was not above the murder of innocent infants. While he didn't commit the murders himself, he pretty much voiced support of the done deed. In one word: ruthless. Both men. One on the battlefield, the other in the command tent/ solar.
So through Cersei's lens of paranoia, cooled by Tywin's constant scheming and maneuvering, and hardened by the isolation of being Robert's queen, Joff is at the breast and suckling from a variety of sociopathic figures: Robert's ultra escapade of misogyny and brutality, and Tywin's power wielding-obsessed path of control.
Since we see Cersei's mind, it's far too easy to attribute much of the mess that is Joff at her doorstep. But like every human ever, she's also a product of her environment: Tywin's eldest child for 18 years. Robert's wife for 16 years. Two colossal figures she looked up to during her formative years.
This line of thought can lead down the rabbit hole, however. But we know Tywin is not like his father, and Robert fostered with Jon Arryn, a man whose advice he did not always heed.
Sorry for focusing on the men when this was supposed to be about Cersei. I just feel strongly that she is equal parts Tywin's ruthlessness and Robert's brutality, resulting in a toxic mess of a woman trying to control child Kings with no one to depend on but herself.
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