I think Cersei will lose her trial by combat.

[Breastplate Stretcha]

What if Cersei wins but it's later deemed a mistrial because Robert Strong is an abomination?

[Raining Blood Magic]

No she can't lose. If she does then her head will be taken off by some headsmen. Though her destiny is to die by strangulation from her volonquar (misspelled probably). Also her remaining children I think are supposed to die before her. And with her trial due early in the next book... Her champion will win.

[Aelinor Keath]

I think the joke here will be, Cersei who is actually guilty will win her trial by combat, while Margaery who is actually innocent will lose her trial by the Faith. Something big needs to happen to upend the Tyrells' power, and that would do it.

I agree. This will give us the best plot. The tyrells will be kicked out by a crazy cersei who makes herself regent again. The resulting mess will help aegon onto the throne.

[Xasthur]

Robert Strong is obviously going to kick the crap out of the Faith's champion(Theodan Wells?) but I think something is going to go terribly wrong during the trial. Robert Strong is obviously Frankengregor, there has to be some tell tale sign that he isn't right. So just imagine Robert Strong losing his helmet at the trial, he is either a headless zombie(like the stone giant in Bran's first dream) or he is rotting and his face is grotesque.

chaos ensues, people screaming and running away from the monster, the High Sparrow accusing Cersei of being a witch(another parallel to greek myth Circe.)

Pretty much this.

Also, this would probably tighten the High Septon's position on power. Everybody would want the Septon to clean and purify this nest of incest, backstabbing and black magic. With Kevan gone, Varys unable to act in public, Littlefinger in the Eery and Tommen being a kid there is no more obstacle for the faith in King's Landing. It's quite obvious that Cersei and her minions will fall through the monster that she has created (rearming the Faith).

For me it would be quite interesting if the Faith becomes more and more powerful, since it was marginalized in the earlier books which is kind of odd, simply because the church was such a powerful factor in the middle ages. And the faith clearly resembles the catholic church, even though it is kind of polytheistic.

[ejhawman]

It would be daring for Martin to break with the prophecy he has given us (death by "valonquar") but on this matter I think he will disappoint us and keep the prophecy intact and fulfilled. Too bad. He has a chance for another legit break with fantasy trope but I don't think he will take it.

[Jon of the Dead]

I don't think Cersei will lose the trial, but I don't think she'll weasel her way back into Regent again

[Lord Damian]

Margeary is the one who will most likely lose her trial as she is trusting in this Septon Zealot who has already told Cersei that she is not a virgin so Margeary's fate could be sealed unless she decides trial by combat and take Ser Robert Strong as her champion. Honestly, Cersie has almost no chance of losing her trial.

[jarl the climber]

The real problem that I have with the whole Ser Robert thing is the statement one of the Sand Snakes said when observing Ser Gregors skull. It was something to the affect that Ser Gregors size made him unique in Westeros and another showing up like him would make the Lannisters look like liars in front of the whole realm. Ser Gregor was supposed to be executed for killing Elia and her kids. If this FrankenGregor is passed off as being someone else you have to wonder how much scrutiny it can take before people realise that its a corpse antimated by some sort of necromancy. Then it becomes a question if Cersei is commiting yet another crime by naming this thing to the KIngsguard and using it at a trial by combat conducted in the light of the seven.

Pretty much this.

Also, this would probably tighten the High Septon's position on power. Everybody would want the Septon to clean and purify this nest of incest, backstabbing and black magic. With Kevan gone, Varys unable to act in public, Littlefinger in the Eery and Tommen being a kid there is no more obstacle for the faith in King's Landing. It's quite obvious that Cersei and her minions will fall through the monster that she has created (rearming the Faith).

For me it would be quite interesting if the Faith becomes more and more powerful, since it was marginalized in the earlier books which is kind of odd, simply because the church was such a powerful factor in the middle ages. And the faith clearly resembles the catholic church, even though it is kind of polytheistic.

My take on the Faith is it is like the Catholic chuch but it does not have the monoply on knowledge like the church had for so many centuries. When the Roman Empire fell it was the chuch that saved whatever it could, locked up in its monasteries. There is no event like this in Westeros. The Andals that brought the 7 were more advanced than the people they conquered and there is a more secular educational establishment or whatever you want to call it, that competes with it. It did seem to have more authority before the Targ invasion when the Kingdoms were split up but has become somewhat innefectual politically, at least since then as far as we have seen. I haven't seen anybody wondering what the High Septons veiws are or worrying about the Faiths reaction to this, that or the other. The only exception is Stannis and that becasue he has adopted another religion.

[Xasthur]

My take on the Faith is it is like the Catholic chuch but it does not have the monoply on knowledge like the church had for so many centuries. When the Roman Empire fell it was the chuch that saved whatever it could, locked up in its monasteries. There is no event like this in Westeros. The Andals that brought the 7 were more advanced than the people they conquered and there is a more secular educational establishment or whatever you want to call it, that competes with it. It did seem to have more authority before the Targ invasion when the Kingdoms were split up but has become somewhat innefectual politically, at least since then as far as we have seen. I haven't seen anybody wondering what the High Septons veiws are or worrying about the Faiths reaction to this, that or the other. The only exception is Stannis and that becasue he has adopted another religion.

If the Faith and it's position of power prevails we might get more info about all this. But you are right, since there is the Order of the Maesters, who have taken care of knowledge and it's heritage. They remind me on monks, even though they have nothing to do with religion.

But Westeros seems to have less problems to save or distribute knowledge than the middle ages anway. Pretty much every lord has and reads dozens of books, which makes me wonder who writes all these books. Asha's uncle (forgot the name... Rodrik?) has a whole tower of books, Tyrion reads every minute he is free, even Winterfell, a fortress in the far (more uncivilized) North has a whole library.

In the middle ages monasteries had huge halls only for writing and multiplying books, it was a HUGE effort to copy a book before the invention of the printing press which made them therefore really expensive, even for nobles. Libraries were extremely rare and well-guarded treasures. One of the reason why the destruction of the library of Alexandria had such a big impact on people.

In ASOIAF I never even saw somebody writing a book, but then again, we might here about that whole issue in the Oldtown chapters or in chapters about the faith in general.

[Winds of Winter blow cold]

The way the High Septon was talking about the evidence, I don't think Marg needs a trail by combat. I don't see Cersei losing because it doesn't fit with the Volenquor killing her.

[James March x2]

If the Faith and it's position of power prevails we might get more info about all this. But you are right, since there is the Order of the Maesters, who have taken care of knowledge and it's heritage. They remind me on monks, even though they have nothing to do with religion.

But Westeros seems to have less problems to save or distribute knowledge than the middle ages anway. Pretty much every lord has and reads dozens of books, which makes me wonder who writes all these books. Asha's uncle (forgot the name... Rodrik?) has a whole tower of books, Tyrion reads every minute he is free, even Winterfell, a fortress in the far (more uncivilized) North has a whole library.

In the middle ages monasteries had huge halls only for writing and multiplying books, it was a HUGE effort to copy a book before the invention of the printing press which made them therefore really expensive, even for nobles. Libraries were extremely rare and well-guarded treasures. One of the reason why the destruction of the library of Alexandria had such a big impact on people.

In ASOIAF I never even saw somebody writing a book, but then again, we might here about that whole issue in the Oldtown chapters or in chapters about the faith in general.

Even with wars going on, we have seen so far that Town burning and Castles razed to ground aren't so common, so book losses are clearly limited. Also, there has been plenty of time for maesters - we have at least one for relevant fort/castle - to copy and paste/drag and drop new books so many times that at least each and every lord can have a copy of the most amazing readings available in 2000 years or even more of "history"..

[kaspar]

From Martin narrative perspective it doesn't make much sense to create this ultimate beast Robert Strong and then let him die few pages after he's introduced. I can imagine it will take a rather drastic measures (i.e. a dragon) to put him down.

[Sordelor]

I don't think Cersei will lose the trial, but I don't think she'll weasel her way back into Regent again

I agree, Robert Strong is not going to lose, but you can't just become regent because the previous one died.

[SeanF]

Even if Cersei loses, I don't think her story is over, yet.

[SeanF]

If the Faith and it's position of power prevails we might get more info about all this. But you are right, since there is the Order of the Maesters, who have taken care of knowledge and it's heritage. They remind me on monks, even though they have nothing to do with religion.

The Citadel is not a religious organisation, but it does seem to be closely aligned to the Faith. Lord Hightower is the patron of both, and Oldtown is the heart of the Faith.

[jarl the climber]

The Citadel is not a religious organisation, but it does seem to be closely aligned to the Faith. Lord Hightower is the patron of both, and Oldtown is the heart of the Faith.

This seems true, all though Pycelle did warn Cersei against rearming the Faith. I'm not sure if the Faith in Oldtown is on the same page as the new High Septon. While I agree that the Maesters seem to support the Faiths primacy on certian matters they seem to be agnostic in their outlook and they seem to pass on this outlook to their highborn patrons. Every Lord seems to have a Maester that they keep as councilor even if they do not trust them very far. But almost none of them seem to keep a Septon in their entourage. I suppose that the deal the Faith they made with Jaehaerys sort of nuetered them politically.

[Constantinople]

My take on the Faith is it is like the Catholic chuch but it does not have the monoply on knowledge like the church had for so many centuries. When the Roman Empire fell it was the chuch that saved whatever it could, locked up in its monasteries. There is no event like this in Westeros. The Andals that brought the 7 were more advanced than the people they conquered and there is a more secular educational establishment or whatever you want to call it, that competes with it. It did seem to have more authority before the Targ invasion when the Kingdoms were split up but has become somewhat innefectual politically, at least since then as far as we have seen. I haven't seen anybody wondering what the High Septons veiws are or worrying about the Faiths reaction to this, that or the other. The only exception is Stannis and that becasue he has adopted another religion.

I think a better analogy for the Faith is the Chalcedonian Orthodox Church under the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Emperors between the fifth and thirteenth centuries.

The Church was able to flourish in medieval western Europe because of the largely disunited political situation, and because the old Roman aristocrats tended to pursue careers as powerful bishops in the sixth and seventh centuries. In the East (as with Westeros), there was no comparable event, and furthermore there existed a very powerful centralised state. Patriarchs of Constantinople, like Westerosi High Septons, were never really able to seriously defy the power of the Emperor and the aristocracy.

I say this as a Byzantinist, but in many ways the Seven Kingdoms more closely resemble the ERE than they do any medieval western European polity. The Faith is a clear example of this.

[RoamingRonin]

I doubt he Robert Strong was introduced just so he can die in his first battle.

It happened to Oberyn Martell.

Exactly, it's either Varys or Littlefinger who'll make sure Marge lose by supplying the evidence of PW. They prefer Cersei on IT cause it's easier to take her down compare to Tyrell

What? LOL.

[Noah Snow]

I doubt he Robert Strong was introduced just so he can die in his first battle.

ser robert is the mountain brought back with necromancy

[RhaenysBee]

I hope she will, though I have no idea who would be able to defeat Strong.

But I'm more curious to find out if Cersei really changed and became a tamed lion. Because I somehow doubt it.