So, how do you think Jamie will kill Cersei?

[Thunderfist]

I'm not really convinced that Jaime will kill Cersei. I hope that Maggy the Frog and her silly prophecy was just GRRM having a bad day and that he doesn't stick with it

[Fire Eater]

@Edwin Snow

Very insightful analysis. When Cersei came to have sex with Jaime in the White Tower, Jaime couldn't get it up. When you can't get it up just as you're about to have sex with someone, it means that deep inside you actually don't want to. Jaime's attraction to Brienne came around the same time he lost his attraction to Cersei, and then his connection to Cersei shatters beyond repair when he realizes while he had been faithful to her she had been unfaithful to him. He has the loyalty that Brienne has and Cersei lacks.

[Edwin Snow]

When Cersei came to have sex with Jaime in the White Tower, Jaime couldn't get it up. When you can't get it up just as you're about to have sex with someone, it means that deep inside you actually don't want to. Jaime's attraction to Brienne came around the same time he lost his attraction to Cersei, and then his connection to Cersei shatters beyond repair when he realizes while he had been faithful to her she had been unfaithful to him. He has the loyalty the Brienne has and Cersei lacks.

I forgot about that, but yes that is already the sort of physical rejection that has begun in the process of overall rejection that I think is going to come. Im just curious to see how the showdown is going to go between Jamie and UnCat with Brienne there. I wonder how Brienne will manage to keep Jamie alive.

[JimZipCode]

I'm not really convinced that Jaime will kill Cersei. I hope that Maggy the Frog and her silly prophecy was just GRRM having a bad day and that he doesn't stick with it

Tyrion is more literally the little brother.

But like everyone else, I find it hard to believe that the prophecy will be so obvious, so easy to anticipate, so straightforward. As the OP points out, "it's a cliche that the characters ALWAYS misinterpret the prophecy." I think it must turn out that the prophecy will be true, but surprising or involving a play on words. Like Arya the valonqar. Or Sandor, the "little" brother, who is little only relative to his very big brother Gregor.

The ideas in this thread about Jaime & Cersei going out together, probably killing each other, are very appealing. But I've had this pet image of Arya telling Cersei who she is and then strangling the life out of her, and that's pretty appealing too.

[Wolf of the North]

But like everyone else, I find it hard to believe that the prophecy will be so obvious, so easy to anticipate, so straightforward. As the OP points out, "it's a cliche that the characters ALWAYS misinterpret the prophecy." I think it must turn out that the prophecy will be true, but surprising or involving a play on words. Like Arya the valonqar. Or Sandor, the "little" brother, who is little only relative to his very big brother Gregor.

I think this might be one of those instances where it's mostly "obvious" to those of us who analyse the books in great depth. The average reader would presumably take Cersei at her word that Tyrion is the prophesized valonqar and may or may not think of Jaime murdering her.

Personally, Jaime makes the most sense to me -- far more so than Sandor, Arya, Stannis, Tommen, etc. It fits with the arc of the story thus far, and I would rather GRRM sticks with that than throw a twist out of left field just to avoid being obvious.

The interpretation that "valonqar" could mean any little brother or little sister or acolyte of the Faceless Men has never felt right to me. It's too broad. Cersei dying at the hands of Jaime or Tyrion, brought on by her own machinations/failures/paranoia, feels much more GRRM than, say, Arya killing Cersei. It would be far too satisfying and clean cut, and you wouldn't need all the fingers on one hand to count the number of truly satisfying moments we've had in the series of evildoers getting comeuppance at the hands of a fan favourite.

[Fire Eater]

He will strangle her with both hands (gold one and real one) and then, he either kill himself or Cersei will find a way to kill him before she dies. They will die together.

Very Romeo and Juiet-esque only Romeo kills Juliet before he kills himself, but they both still die together in the end.

[Areo Speedwagon]

I like that Tyrion is the valonqar and that it was a self-fulfilling prophesy. Sure Cersei would have been Cersei if she had never heard it, but maybe she wouldn't have been so actively hateful towards Tyrion had she not. I think that sort of we-are-the-source-of-our-own-suffering would be beautiful.

Romeo didn't kill Juliet. She gets a sleeping potion from the Friar that makes it look like she's dead. Romeo comes in, sees her, thinks she is dead, kills Paris, then himself. Juliet wakes up to find a dead Romeo and kills herself.

I, too, would like to have Cersei see Danaerys before she bites it. Cersei is always going on about what power is, how powerful she is. Enter Dany with her dragons, Unsullied, Queensguard, and Barristan all completely devoted to her not because of her father or she mothered a king, but because she is worthy. Cersei talks about how fear is the only true way to get people to be loyal, to rule. Enter Dany with all the people (and dragons) who love her (which will most likely include Tyrion at that point). All the slaves around the world who love her. I'm sure Barristan or Tyrion will tell Dany about Cersei at some point, and assuming she's alive when Dany gets to Westeros, I would love to see the look on Dany's face; no, bitch, this is power.

Not saying I hope Dany kills Cersei, just that they meet. That actually might be a fate worse than death for Cersei now that I think about it. Living the rest of her days stripped of all land and titles and wealth, her children dead, her brother wanting nothing to do with her, having to live as a peasant, a serf. Yeah, I think that would be worse than any death for her. She would probably kill herself if that were to happen though.

[Sword in the Morning]

*shrug* prophesy didn't specify whose little brother it would be.

Perhaps Rickon is the valonquar, and destroys her for her crimes against the Starks.

[Tribal_Afghan]

i think it would be interesting if she isnt killed by a valanqor. if the prophecy is only partly true in that she outlives her children but isnt killed by a valanqor, it would be far more interesting.

[little & less]

Is there any chance Jamie will be dead by the time he gets back to Cersei? Perhaps as Un-Jamie or a wight?

[IKE]

What if, instead of literally strangling her, the strangler poison is given to her... Same poison used on Joff, puts a metaphorical spin on the prophesy. And if the 'little brother' is the predicted candidates like Tyrion or Jamie, the circumstances of how it comes to pass can be a little more interesting (accident or something), less predictable..

I don't want Martin writing something I would predict..

Edit: Gah! Condescending

[Hughthehand]

Cersei's last hope is for Gregor to be her champion in trial by combat. The Faith chooses their champion, the newly repentant Sandor Clegane.

The valonqar that metaphorically chokes out the last hope for Cersei.

[Capon Breath]

The most likely valonqar from the wording of the prophecy is actually Tommen. Maggy is still speaking about Cersei children and their fates at this point, implying that it's not herbrother, but rather her younger son - the valonqar among her children.

The problem with this is that it's pretty far out of character for Tommen to commit murder kinslaying, and that the prophecy implies that Cersei will outlive her children. A wighted Tommen could work, but I think he's far too much south of the Wall for that to happen anytime soon.

The "valonqar is gender neutral"-theory is likely nonsense. It seemingly stems entirely from Maester Aemons musings that the Valyrian word for dragon is gender neutral - something that certainly don't imply that all words in that language are likewise!

Also the Maggy prophecy hints that Cersei dies after her children so would be tough for that to be Tommen unless hes Un-Tommen with Un-Ser Pounce "

[Stormcatcher]

Cersei's last hope is for Gregor to be her champion in trial by combat. The Faith chooses their champion, the newly repentant Sandor Clegane.

The valonqar that metaphorically chokes out the last hope for Cersei.

I really like this idea! It's unexpected (except by you, hah), and fits her prophecy perfectly. Plus, it's a bonus for Sandor, because he finally gets to fight and kill his brother. Sort of.

[Not A Lannister]

Well if Jamie comes back to KL and tells the High Septon that He is the father of Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen; that will not only seal both their fates and if Cersei is hanged because of it *shrugs*

Her "valonqar" did strangle her.

[Stark@heart]

"For hands of Gold are always cold"

The Valonqar is suppose to wrap his hands around her slim white neck or something like that so as long as Jamies wearing his strap on he can fulfill the prophecy.

And as a bonus - Cersei dies in almost the same way as Shae , the funny whore, did especially if Jamie finds her in bed with someone - I hope it's Moonboy.

[Trinket2]

Strangling her. Either he or Tyrion will.

It might be a mercy killing, though, for example in a jail cell. I think we'll see Cersei break before she dies.

[twilight]

I also believe that it will be Jaime, who kills Cersei.

In the fourth book there are strong moments, Jaime reflecting himself. One of those moments was him remembering how he stood there, in his shiny pretty armor, his mind fleeing to Cersei when the mad king commited his cruelties. He stood there and did ... nothing. I think that eats on him and I do not believe that if that happens again he would do the same. He changed or IS changing and the next time such a thing happens he would act, be it because he simply has enough of someone's cruelty or wants to keep his oaths or whatever. He is missing a hand, but he is also more of a knight then maybe ever before.

And then we have Cersei. The already paranoid queen, now horribly humiliated, noone trusting and seeing enemies everywhere. Kevan dies, Tommen is eight, Jaime doesn't care and she is the only Lion at court. If she survives the trial, and I bet she will (although people will question her more and more since they might REALLY begin to fear Robert Strong), she will be a fighting lion. People will call her a witch, as they already call her a whore and a brotherfcker and all that might push her into a kind of rampage. She will be a powderbarrel at that time and Im sure enough people with torches will come around the corner ;)

And by that time we will have a completly nutty queen regent that has a lot of enemies and hates them well, maybe so well that she threatens them all? Maybe like the mad king, with wildfire in KL? It's a wild guess of course, but I can imagine pretty easily how she gets to a point in her story where Jamie cannot stand aside any longer. Once he did not do anything, he just stood there, looking away. But not this time.

That plus anything you all wrote already (Jaime withdrawing from her) could lead to Jaime killing Cersei. They both got into the world together, both will leave it. She came a few moments before him, she will leave the world a few moments before him as well. To dream a bit about this scene: Jaime clutching to his dead sisters corpse, surprisingly calm, while the roof is on fire, waiting for death.

[Saer]

Gold will be their crowns and gold their shrouds. And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar etc.

You know, thinking about it, it never actually says Tommen&Myrcella will die before Cersei, or die young. Her tears could be drowning her for a completely different reason, and there's no time-frame given for them having golden shrouds.

[oliewankanobe]

Would be genius if Brienne did it. If she dies later on don't tell me. (Still catching up.)