Cersei Lannister

"When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground."

- Cersei subtly threatens Ned Stark.

Cersei Lannister is a main character and a main antagonist of a Song of Ice and Fire. At the beggining of the series she is the Queen of the Seven Kindgoms. She is the daughter of Lord Tywin Lannister, twin sister (and lover) of Ser Jaime Lannister, and older sister of Tyrion Lannister. She is the wife of King Robert I Baratheon and mother of Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen. Cersei is one of the two main antagonists of Season 1 and a secondary antagonist in later seasons, until the finale of Season 6 where she climactically steps up as the main antagonist. In the TV series, she is portrayed by Lena Headey, who also notably portrayed Madeline "Ma-Ma" Madrigal in Dredd.

History
Cersei was the eldest child of Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, Warden of the West, and Hand of the King, and of Joanna Lannister. She had a twin brother, Jaime. Since a very young age she and Jaime were engaged in an incestuous sexual relationship until they were discovered by their mother. She moved Jaime's chamber to the other side of the castle, and put a guard ouside Cersei's chamber. Joanna was merciful and didn't tell anything to her husband, warning the twins to never do such thing ever again, or else she would be forced to tell Tywin. Joanna, who was friend with Doran's mother, tried to have one of her children married to Oberyn or Elia, but she died before that. Lady Joanna died while giving birth to Tyrion, who was a dwarf. During the Tourney in Honor of Viserys' Birth her father intended to marry her to Prince Rhaegar Targaryen yet King Aerys opposed the marriage. Jaime loved both his siblings, but he always hated Cersei's bad side. She hated Tyrion because his birth caused the death of Joanna, while Jaime knew it was beyond Tyrion's control to avoid their mother's death. Cersei's  hatred towards Tyrion increased after the prophecy of a witch of the westerlands known as Maggy the Frog. Maggy correctly predicted Cersei's marriage and mutual infidelity with a king. She went on to prophesy that Cersei would outlive all her children, who would die as kings and queens, and that after everything she had was taken away by a younger and more beautiful queen, the valonqar (High Valyrian for “little brother”, possibly Tyrion or the Hound, according to Bran's visions) would come to end her life. Cersei is frightened by this prophecy. Her friend, Melara Hetherspoon, who had been present, suggested that if they never spoke about it, the prophecies (which included Melara's death) would not come true. Cersei, later in life, recalls how Melara died shortly after their visit to Maggy, and it is heavily implied, though never confirmed, that Cersei killed Melara, to prevent the girl from speaking of the prophecy. Cersei has always identified the valonqar as Tyrion, and eventually comes to worry that Margaery Tyrell might be the younger and more beautiful queen. Ever since Cersei started developing paranoia. She cried once she learned the King refused Tywin's marriage propose with Rhaegar. Her aunt Genna comforted her. Years later, during the Tourney of Harrenhal, Jaime joined the Kingsguard (also to secure a place near her sister), Lord Tywin never forgave Aerys for this and resigned his position as Hand of the King.

Some months after it a rebellion against King Aerys II took place, led by Lord Jon Arryn and Lord Robert Baratheon. The Lannisters maintained neutrality until the very ending of the war when Tywin sacked Kings Landing and Jaime murdered Aerys. Robert Baratheon was crowned as king and, to secure her father’s loyalty, married Cersei. Initially she was exited to marry the hero of the rebellion and the new king, but Robert never cared about her. Since Robert called her "Lyanna" during their wedding night, her fondness for him died right in that moment. Their marriage became a loveless one as Robert only loved his deceased fiancée Lyanna Stark. Cersei aborted every child she had with the King. Also, Robert was never loyal to his queen, and bedded many other women and fathered many bastards, included two twins with a maid at Casterly Rock. Cersei had both maid and children secretely killed. Robert and Cersei hated each other and she would complaining about Robert's behavior all the time along with his brother and rival Lord Stannis Baratheon. In fact, because of their personalities, Cersei and Stannis were the most despised persons in court. With Robert neglecting her, Cersei started again and maintained (secretly) her incestous relationship with her brother Jaime and gave birth to three children thought to be Roberts yet were Jaime’s. Lord Stannis however had his suspicions, but since Robert had no love for him, he told Jon Arryn to investigate the matter.

When Roberts’s Hand, Jon Arryn, died under mysterious circumstances Robert decided to recruit his childhood friend Eddard Stark as Hand of the King, angering Stannis who thought he was owed the position through his fifteen years of service on the small council, who left King's Landing for Dragonstone with most of the royal fleet.

During the king's visit in Winterfell, Ned’s son, Bran, saw Jaime and Cersei having sex, while discussing things about Eddard, Stannis, Renly, and Lysa. In an attempt to conceal the truth by trying to kill him, Jaime threw Bran of the window. While they were travelling back to King' s Landing an assassin tried to murder an unconscious Bran rising suspicion on the Lannisters (who had however nothing to do with that). Lady Catelyn, Ned’s wife, kidnapped Lord Tyrion Lannister which caused a war between Lannisters and Tullys. Ned, investigating Arryn’s murder found the truth about Cersei’s children and led by honor warned her about the risk under which she would fall once Robert Found out. Before Ned could tell Robert, however, Cersei murdered her husband by causing him to get excessively drunk during boar hunting. Actually Cersei had already instructed her cousin Lancel to give the strongwine to Robert before Ned found the truth. Robert started to worry Cersei the last years and months: he had become too loud and short-tempered. He was out of control and stopped listening to his wife. Moreso Stannis and Renly started to plot against her and her children, but she knew Robert's brothers were too smart for her and was afraid of both of them, so she didn't even dare to deal with them. Cersei never wanted Jon Arryn to die, as she needed honorable men as Hand of the King, while Stannis, Renly, Petyr Baelish, and Varys were dangerous. Cersei decided to kill Robert out of fear that Ned might find the truth since Pycelle told her that he had the book about the great houses, also Cersei hated Robert a lot, since she learned he was never going to love her. Ned admitted to feel sorry for both Cersei and Robert, but still refused Cersei's sexual advances and told her to flee to the Free Cities with her children. Cersei wasn't happy, as she hoped to have Ned remain as a loyal Hand or just return to Winterfell and leave her family alone.

When he saw his old friend grieving in pain, Ned was taken by mercy and failed to tell him the truth about his children. While Robert's youngest brother Renly fled from the capital with his men and Tyrells men, Ned acknowledged Stannis Baratheon as Robert's rightful heir and refused Cersei's eldest child, Joffrey, as the rightful heir. Joffrey was named king while his mother imprisoned Ned Stark for treason with the help of the commander of the City Watch, Janos Slynt. Cersei has her hostage, Sansa Stark, writing 3 letters: one for her brother in Winterfell, Robb Stark, another for her grandfather in Riverrun, Hoster Tully, and another one for her aunt at the Eyrie, Lysa Arryn. All of them are commanded to ride in King's Landing and swear loyalty to King Joffrey I.

Joffrey forced Cersei to fire Ser Barristan Selmy, since he needed someone to blame for Robert's death. The only thing Joffrey cared about were torment and punish those who viewed as enemies, leaving the realm under the rule of the small council. This caused Joffrey to be nothing more than a mere uncontrollable puppet of the other lords.

Later, during the War of the Five Kings her brother Jaime was captured by the northmen during the Battle of the Whispering Wood. The Lannisters wanted to end the problem with the North pacifically, as their biggest threat were the ambitious infamous brothers of King Robert, Stannis and Renly. Tywin, Kevan, and Cersei intended to use Lord Eddard to buy peace with the Starks, yet Joffrey had him executed. In his place Tywin was appointed as Hand of the King.

Stannis Baratheon, Robert’s brother,  knowing the truth about Cersei's children, had already closed Dragonstone to the world for a year, and ignored Ned Stark's calls for him to return to his duty as Master of Ships and return the royal fleet to the capital. All this time Dragonstone stayed hostile to everyone outside and took any ship that would come close to the island. Renly wedded the 14 years old girl Lady Margaery Tyrell and crowned himself as King of the Seven Kingdoms, followed by all the might of the Reach and the stormlands, ignoring the fact that Joffrey was officially the righful king, and refusing to support his elder brother Stannis. During the war, Robb Stark, Ned’s heir, sought to become an independent monarch as Balon Greyjoy. Civil War broke and Tywin sent Tyrion as his Hand Representative to fix the mess created by Cersei and Joffrey. Tyrion and Cersei had clashing views yet Tyrion managed to outsmart her and took most of her power away.

Cersei had the City Watch of King's Landing killing every known bastard child of Robert Baratheon in King's Landing. This prevented any challenge against Joffrey and any possibility for Stannis to prove the true parentage of Cersei's children. The only acknowledged bastards of Robert now are Mya Stone and Edric Storm. It's unkown how many bastards of Robert might live in the Seven Kingdoms, among them only two in the books are met, Bella and Gendry, but nobody, including themselves, knows that their father was Robert.

 King’s Landing and many other places in the realm are starving because of the war: Renly is blocking the supply of food on the roseroad to King's Landing, while the west has been completely blocked by Robb Stark, causing the capital to suffer starvation. Cersei fears that Renly or Stannis will soon attack the city. She made Janos Slynt a lord because she absolutely needed the gold cloaks on her side before Eddard could hand over the throne to Stannis Baratheon. King’s Landing is now full of tension and the peasants are massing at the city gates, to seek shelter and safety from the war infuriating in the realm, but Littlefinger has introduced a tax to enter the city. There are guards and sellswords everywhere, and Cersei has tripled the City Watch and has thousands of craftsmen working on the defenses, including the Alchemists' Guild which has pledged ten thousand jars of wildfire.

 Later King’s Landing receives news of the brothers Renly and Stannis fighting each other at Storm's End, making Cersei and Tyrion happy. The two celebrate the fact that Stannis and Renly are most likely going to battle, so whoever loses it’s a victory for them. Tywin is also made aware of this at Harrenhal.

 The small council discusses Renly’s mysterious death and Joffrey is disappointed, as he desired to have Renly’s head on spike as a revenge for all the times Renly had made fun of him for years. Tyrion, who was hoping for the brothers to kill each others, knows that Stannis is behind the death of Renly, and now he has enough strength to strike against them. Ser Loras is heading to Bitterbridge for his sister Margaery, and the council take this as an opportunity to have the Tyrells and the Reach on their side. They plan to win Loras, who’s Mace Tyrell’s favourite son and Littlefinger heads to Bitterbridge to treat with the Tyrells. At the same time the Greyjoys officially enter the war and invade the North, raiding the coast, pillaging, and raping, angering Cersei who wished Robert would have killed all the ironmen, back during Greyjoy Rebellion.

 King’s Landing falls into chaos as a result of Renly and Robb’s actions, that led the capital to starve. There’s hatred against King Joffrey, the Lannisters, and the High Septon, the latter is killed during a furious riot that occurs right after Princess Myrcella and Ser Arys Oakheart leave the city for Dorne. King’s Landing is now full of conspirators who plan to have the population and the sellswords fighting for Stannis Baratheon, when the time comes.

Everything went wrong for Tyrion however when months later Stannis, after killing Renly and taking power in the stormlands as the one true king, laid siege to King's Landing and Lord Tywin returned with Lord Mace Tyrell and Lord Randyll Tarly to defeat him and claim his place as Hand of the King.

Later like Renly, Balon Greyjoy and Robb Stark where murdered and the only one to oppose the Lannisters rule was Stannis Baratheon who was still alive, hiding in Dragonstone.

To stop the rebellion of the North, Lord Tywin had officially declared to have finally found Princess Arya Stark, and was taken in King's Landing by Bolton's men to be taken back to the North to marry Lord Ramsay Bolton, however, unknown to everyone, even the Boltons, the girls is a fraud and is actually Jeyne Poole, childhood friend of Sansa Stark, who had lived somewhere in King's Landing away from the Red Keep, all this time during the war.

The Lannisters intended to forge an alliance with the Tyrells, one of the most powerful families on Westeros, by wedding Margaery Tyrell to King Joffrey I. This however failed when Margaery’s grandmother, Olenna Redwyne, concerned with Joffrey’s cruelty, poisoned Joffrey with the help of Littlefinger during their wedding feast. The blame however fell on Sansa Stark, who was being held as a hostage, and married to Tyrion Lannister. Tyrion was imprisoned yet Sansa disappeared. During the war her brother Jaime was released from his imprisonment by Catelyn Tully and arrived to King's Landing to help her mourn their dead son (even though Jaime had no love for Joffrey). After Joffrey's death and with Mace's refusal to marry her with his son, Willas, Tywin had planned to sent Cersei back to Casterly Rock, so he could remain alone with King Tommen I. Tyrion was going to be executed yet he escaped with the help of Lord Varys and his brother and killed Lord Tywin for what he did to him and Tysha years ago, leaving Cersei with all the power.

Margaery married the new king Tommen who was just a child and had a sweeter nature than his brother and mother. The two won't consume their marriage until Tommen will come of age. Ser Loras becomes a genuine friend of Tommen, the big brother he never had. After the Blackwater Loras had replaced the deceased Mandon Moore as Kingsguard, and was now protecting Tommen and taking orders from Ser Jaime. Margaery gives Tommen a lot of cats. The Tyrells were actually trying to act as a true united family, but the paranoid Queen Dowager wanted to stop it at any cost.

Cersei's rule was short and disastrous: she took control over her son Tommen and resumed her position as Queen Dowager. With Tyrion being a criminal and an exiled kinslayer, Cersei is now Lady of Casterly Rock, officially acknowledged by her uncle Kevan. Cersei thought she could prove herself to be a better ruler than her father, however she proved herself to be wrong when she drives the realm in a complete chaotic state. Her quick temper and her easily wounded pride frequently lead her to make rash decisions, and she rarely considers what unintended consequences her actions might have. She lacks the patience for dealing with the tedious yet vital details of administration, and increasingly avoids facing unpleasant facts, surrounding herself with sycophants rather than honest and competent advisers. She gained more weight and started to drink more and have sex with people, taking all of these habits from her dead husband King Robert. Her paranoia and hysteria increased, also leading her to have Lord Hellyne burning the Tower of the Hand with wildfire. The Queen was paranoid and obsessed with Stannis, Tyrion, and the Tyrells trying to take King's Landing. She had allucinations and nightmares, seeing Eddard Stark, her father, Sansa Stark, and even Sansa's direwolf Lady. Cersei fills King Tommen's small council with cravens and lickspittles, her own agents who would be complete loyal to her: Lord Orton Merryweather as Master of Laws, Ser Harys Swyft (Lancel's maternal grandfather) as Hand, partially to use as a hostage against her uncle, Grand Maester Pycelle, Lord Gyles Rosby as Master of Coin and a former ally of Stannis Aurane Waters as Master of Ships, and the renegade former maester Qyburn as Master of Whisperers, the latter was given the permission to take young girls into his dungeon and torture them to death for his experiments, making Pycelle furious.

Cersei kept Tommen away from the small council and took the rule of the Seven Kingdoms for herself. Kevan Lannister is infuriated by this and after having a quarrel with his niece, he leaves King's Landing sometime later, with Tywin's body, to go with his son Lancel to Castle Darry and later to Casterly Rock. Kevan and Cersei always had a bad relationship, and Cersei always thought that Kevan disliked her because she's a woman, but Kevan had always found her unfit as a mother as well as a ruler. To spite her uncle, Cersei names Daven Lannister the new Warden of the West, while Damion Lannister is made castellan of Casterly Rock. Daven remained besieging Riverrun with Emmon Frey and Genna Lannister. As a challenge Kevan refused to serve Cersei as her puppet, and left her alone, surrounded by cravens, lackeys, fools, and enemies. Before leaving, Kevan told Jaime and Cersei that he always knew about their incestous relationship. Actually every Lannister, except Tywin, was always suspecting that.

She befriends Lady Taena Merryweather, having her spying the Tyrells for her, and even forcing her to sex with her in the bed. She also kept going with her sexual relationships with the Kettleblack brothers, Osmund, Osfryd, and Osney. A new rumor was spreading throughout the realm: Sandor Clegane had joined Beric Dondarrion outlaws. The Queen was made aware about the infamout Raid on Saltapans, where the outlaws have pillaged Saltpans and savagely raped and mutilated the townsmen. The reports mentioned that their leader was the Hound. In truth it is later revealed the rumour that it was Beric and Sandor's doing was made up by Randyll Tarly, as he plans to have all the realm against Lord Beric Dondarrion and help to finally have him captured. The one who truly led the brutal raid on Saltpans was the dangerous criminal named Rorge, who found the Hound's helmet and wore it.

After alienating Kevan, Cersei sent her brother Jaime away, so he couldn't stop her plans. Jaime tried to reason with his sister and asked her to make peace with Kevan, but he only angered her. Jaime is sent in the riverlands to help Daven and deal with Ser Brynden Tully in the Siege of Riverrun, help the Freys and the Lannister army with the river lords, and deal with the former Mountain's men in Harrenhal. Jaime went to the riverlands with his party, including his squire Josmyn Peckledon, Ser Ilyn Payne, the commander of the City Watch Ser Addam Marbrand, Ser Flement Brax, Ser Lyle Crakehall, Lord Ronnet Connington, and others. During his journey he develops empathy for the people of the riverlands, victim of the worst events of the war, and starts to reconsider his relationship with the hateful Cersei, believing she's been the main reason of his former villainous behavior.

Cersei has bounty hunters to search for Tyrion in all of Westeros and Essos and orders to bring her his head. At the same time she wanted to get rid of the Tyrell army and the Redwyne fleet, so she ordered Mace Tyrell to go with Mathis Rowan to Storm's End,  which is still held by Stannis' loyalist and take it in the name of King Tommen. While Paxter Redwyne has to go with his fleet to Dragonstone and take it, while Stannis was at the Wall with Lord Commander Jon Snow, his wife Selyse, and his daughter Shireen. Mace's second son, Garlan Tyrell also left the capital for Brightwater Keep, the seat of House Florent, officialy rebels for being bannermen to Stannis Baratheon. The castle is held by Ser Colin Florent while Lord Alekyne Florent is in Oldtown, Axell and Selyse are with Stannis, and Erren Florent, Selyse's younger brother is held captive in Highgarden. Cersei thought that sending Mace and Paxter away  was a smart move: with Lady Olenna and Lady Alerie (Mace's wife), and Lady Leonette (Garlan's wife) gone, Margaery was left with only her female cousins and Ser Loras Tyrell, who stayed in King's Landing as a member of the Kingsguard. Cersei knew that  whoever was going to lose the battles she would have won: either the Tyrells and Lord Redwyne were going to die fighting the forces of King Stannis, or Stannis would be damaged anyway.

The Queen started a political campaign of intrigue to remove the Tyrells from the capital as she thought in her paranoia that they were trying to seize the throne for themselves, this because Qyburn found a Tyrell coin in the dungeon where Tyrion was being held (the coin was obviously put there by Lord Varys in order to create tension between Cersei and the Tyrells). Another such coin is found in the room of a Jailer who disappeared the same time as Tyrion (the Jailer is one of Varys' alias'). Cersei alienated Jaime and Kevan, the latter leaving King's Landing with Tywin's body for Darry and later Casterly Rock, angered by her. Meanwhile Cersei's cousin Ser Daven Lannister was still besieging Riverrun with the Freys as Ser Brynden Tully was still holding the castle. The rest of the Lannister army was in the riverlands along with Randyll Tarly, trying to bring peace to the riverlords who had supported King Robb during the war. The Freys and the Lannisters still kept northern hostages such as Jon Umber, Harrion Karstark and Wylis Manderly, to force the North to be loyal to the Crown and it's new ruler Roose Bolton.

Cersei kept damaging Tywin's hard work to keep order in the Seven Kingdoms, having the High Septon murdered in his sleep by Ser Osney Kettleblack and refusing to honor the Crown's debts to the Iron Bank of Braavos and the Faith of the Seven, causing the Iron Bank to go in support of King Stannis Baratheon and the Faith to refuse to bless King Tommen I. This causes economic chaos in the realm. With the money owed, Cersei started to construct a new royal fleet of warships in command of Aurane Waters.

The Queen also sends Ser Balon Swann to Dorne, to deal with Prince Doran Martell and bring him the head of Ser Gregor Clegane who had killed Prince Oberyn Martell, Elia Martell, and Aegon VI Targaryen, in order to have back in King's Landing her daughter Myrcella, away from the dangerous Sand Snakes and the half-mad Obara Sand. Not knowing that Doran had sent his older son Quentyn Martell to Mereen for a secret alliance with Daenerys, Cersei' s secret mission was to to invite Prince Trystane to accompany his betrothed, then kill him along the way somewhere in the kingswood in a staged assault, for which Tyrion was supposed to be blamed, with Prince Doran preferably bearing witness to the fact that the attack is not the fault of the queen's men, but this failed as Doran was made aware of this and only let Myrcella go back to King's Landing. She organized other failed  plots such as having Bronn killed at Stokeworth by the husband of Falyse Stokeworth (Bronn killed him and had his men throw Falyse out of Stokeworth), and have Jon Snow, who was an ally to Stannis and the North, murdered at Castle Black (though he still got murdered, but not because of Cersei). A letter arrived at King's Landing, informing Cersei that Lord  Davos Seaworth was taken captive by Wyman Manderly in White Harbor, which was controlled by Freys, and was going to be executed (later it's revealed that the one who's been killed was just a criminal and that Davos was sent by Lord Wyman Manderly to Skagos, to find Rickon Stark).

At the same time the ironborn took advantage of the chaos and King Euron Greyjoy started to attack the Reach, while his brother Victarion Greyjoy was sent to Slaver's Bay to meet Queen Daenerys Targaryen. Cersei ignores the complaints of Loras, Margaery, and Willas Tyrell, Mace's firstborn son who was acting as Lord of Highgarden, and refused to send the Redwyne fleet back to the Reach to deal with ironmen, saying that they first have to deal with Stannis Baratheon, making tthe Tyrells more angry. Later however Loras returned to beg Cersei to let the Redwyne fleet leave Dragonstone again, and Cersei refuses again but let him go to the infamous island, to help Lord Redwyne to deal with Stannis' garrison. Ser Rolland Storm held the castle and thanks to Ser Loras' rashness, the siege soon became a slaughter. About a thousand men died, mainly Tyrell men. Loras got heavily and seriously wounded, as Stannis' men poured boiling oil over him. Loras is reported to be ugly, ruined, and dying. Cersei didn't wait to tell Margaery everything with a malicious smile, even exaggerating the story, and leaving the little girl to her grief. While he was losing Dragonstone, King Stannis had taken Deepwood Motte from the ironborn, taking Princess Asha Greyjoy as his captive, and winning the support of many house of the North, including House Mormont, who had previously denied him in a letter. Stannis marched with his army of two different religions, but got stuck in the wolfswood in a snowstorm, while Roose Bolton has been preparing for the imminent siege, gathering the Freys and his unloyal bannermen in Winterfell, there also with him, Wyman Manderly, Ramsay Bolton, Jeyne "Arya", and Theon "Reek". Cersei hopes the Boltons will manage to capture or kill Stannis.

Jaime and most powerful men of the westerlands were still away, dealing with the chaos in the riverlands. With all of the surviving force of the Lannister army away in the riverlands, and the armies of the Reach dealing with Stannis, Euron Greyjoy and his ironborn, and the Florents, King's Landing was left only to the protection of the remaining men of the City Watch: here the Sparrows quickly started to spread in all the city (fled from the violence and rapes of holy women outside the capital) and preach the Faith of the Seven and publicly going against the corrupted greedy Faith in King's Landing. They are led by a men who is referred as the High Sparrow. Cersei didn't take the problem seriously and let them did what they wanted, even forcing the septons of the city to choose the High Sparrow as the new High Septon and trying to abolish all of the brothels from King's Landing, to protect the women and build a sense of morality in the city. The new High Septon manipulates Queen Cersei into overturning Jaehaery's law (Jaehaerys had the Faith agree to disband the Faith Militant) and the Faith Militant is born again. Cersei was really happy about it, because she thought she had solved the problem with the sparrows and that this was a huge strike against the heretic Stannis Baratheon. The Faith Militant has two orders: the first one the Warrior' Sons, knights who have renounced their titles, lands, gold and possessions to fight for the Seven and the High Septon. They wear inlaid silver armor over hair shirts, rainbow cloaks, and swords with star-shaped crystals in their pommels. They developed a reputation for fanaticism and implacable hatred for enemies of the Faith. The second one the Poor Fellows, a more humble order for commoners and women. Acting as a militant counterpart to begging brothers, Poor Fellows wander the realm and escort pilgrims between septs. They are lightly-armed footmen, who carry whatever weapons they can make or find, often axes or cudgels, and wear star badges, red on white. Ser Lancel Lannister abandoned his wife at Darry without consummating his marriage, and joined the Warrior's Sons, making his father Kevan furious like Jaime did with Tywin.

When Lord Gyles Rosby died, Cersei accuses Grand Maester Pycelle of being responsible, which he objects to. She immediately dismisses the ward of Gyles Rosby as not of Gyles’s blood and contrives to seize Rosby’s gold, lands and castle due to the lack of a clear heir to the childless Lord Rosby. Pycelle begins to object, telling her again that Gyles had a ward, but she orders the hesitant Pycelle to tell the ward that Gyles’s dying wish was that all his lands and wealth go to King Tommen Baratheon, which is not true.

Instead of unifying the realm Cersei tried to undermine the Tyrells by claims against Margaery’s virginity and giving religion more power, the plan initially succeeded: Margaery was arrested for fornication along with her cousins Alla, Megga, and Elinor, with many nobles accused of having sexual relationships with them: Lord Paxter's twin sons, Osney Kettleblack, Horas and Hobber, Mark Mullendore, Jhalabar Xho, Hugh Clifton, Lambert Turnberry, Bayard Norcross, Hamish, Ser Tallad, and the Blue Bard. Cersei and Qyburn tortured the Blue Bard until he lost his mind and was forced to give the names of the men who had been arrested. Of course Ser Osney was part of Cersei's plot and was happy to be blamed and ready to give false testimony to the Faith Militant and blame Queen Margaery. Cersei's plan backfired when the High Sparrow took Ser Osney and the Blue Bard under his custody and had Osney tortured until he confessed Cersei's crime. Lancel also testifies against his cousin. Then all of Cersei' lovers where discovered. The faith chased Cersei until the big woman, Septa Unella took her and imprisoned her.

Cersei and Margaery remained prisoners of the Faith. Meanwhile Pycelle summoned Kevan Lannister to return to King's Landing as Lord Regent Protector of the Realm. The news of the arrest of Margaery Tyrell reached the ears of Lord Mace Tyrell, who left the siege at Storm's End to Lord Mathis Rowan and returned to King's Landing with an army. Randyll Tarly also arrived with his army, ready to deal with the Faith and highly disapproving what Cersei has done to realm. Cersei's agents Taena and Orton Merryweather fled back to the south to avoid the Faith and return to their child, as well as Aurane Waters who left with his fleet to the stormlands. Now Paxter Redwyne is the Master of Ships while Mace is Hand of the King, Randyll the Master of Laws, and Harys Swyft stayed as Master of Coin.

Kevan and Pycelle ignored Cersei and left her to her captivity, while Ser Osney Kettleblack is sentenced to death for the murder of the previous High Septon. As for Margaery, the High Sparrow admitted her case is weak, and that she's most likely going to be released. However if found guilty Cersei will be executed in the name of the Gods. Desperate Cersei refuses to confess her crimes to the High Septon, who also wanted her to confess about her incestous relationships with Jaime and the fact that her children are all bastards of their relationship. She begs Qyburn to write to Jaime to return to King's Landing and fight for her. But Jaime, who had resolved the matters in Harrenhal, Riverrun (with Emmon frey ruling the castle, the Blackfish disappeared, Petyr Baelish Lord of the Trident, and Edmure Tully living now in Casterly Rock with Roslin Frey) and Raventree Hall, ignores her letter, furious about her infidelities with Lancel and the Kettleblacks. Instead her travels in the riverlands with Brienne of Tarth, who has failed to save Sansa and Arya yet.

Cersei eventually breaks and finally confesses to the High Septon, admitting it's all true except for her incestous relantionship with Jaime, wanting to protect Tommen and Myrcella from Stannis and the Faith at any cost. She accuses Stannis Baratheon of being a power hungry liar who would sacrifice his own family to get the Iron Throne. The High Septon was satisfied to hear this. He's more worried about Stannis, as he declared him as an eretic enemy of the realm and the Faith, who has abandoned the Seven to follow R'hllor the Red Demon. It was rumored that Stannis considered burning the Great Sept of Baelor for Melisandre. To get the real truth, though, the High Septon means to have her tried by the Faith or trial by combat, where Cersei would be represented by a knight of the Kingsguard. He is unsure of all the crimes she has committed so the only way to pick the truth from the false is to let the gods decide.

Cersei is allowed to visit Lord Regent Kevan, and she learns that Jaime has gone missing, the Golden Company has invaded the stormlands and that there's a war going on down there. Kevan thinks the sellswords are fighting for Stannis. Then he tells Cersei the bad news from Balon Swann: Myrcella lost an ear in Dorne, and Ser Arys Oakheart of the Kingsguard died. Qyburn however was ready to replace Ser Arys with his new member.

Cersei is forced to make the walk of atonement, commonly better known as "walk of shame", for the shouts of the word. She knew it was the only way to escape the Great Sept and return to the Red Keep and see the scared Tommen again before her possible imminent death. Meanwhile Margaery has chosen to be judged by the Faith, since she has many friends who are going to defend her against Cersei's former accusations. But Cersei knew she does not have enough friends to risk that kind of trial. The septas arrived with a group of Silent Sisters, who stripped Cersei naked and shaved her of literally every hair on her body (not in the show for obvious reasons). Led by Ser Lancel and other men of an escort of Warrior's Sons, Cersei found herself in the same spot where Eddard Stark was executed, which it made her think about how Joffrey had ruined every chance of a good ending for her family, killing Ned Stark and causing the North to rebel, while removing every chance of making peace with them in order to have the freedom to deal with Stannis and Renly. Cersei was forced to strip naked before the crowd and walk to the Red Keep. Initially she walked with dignity, ignoring the insults and worse (such as rotten vegetables and a cat carcass) the crowd thrown at her, but as the walk continued and the insults grown worse, mocking her faded beauty and the signs of age on her body, Cersei struggled to maintain her composure. As she walked, Cersei had allucinations, seeing faces of others in the crowd; an angry Tywin frowning, Ned and Sansa Stark, along with Lady the direwolf staring accusingly at her, Tyrion laughing at her and finally, the face of Maggy the Frog intoning her prophecy: Queen you shall be, until there comes another, younger and more beautiful, to cast you down and take all you hold most dear.

At this, Cersei breaks down in tears and runs for the Red Keep, collapsing as soon as she staggers into the courtyard. Kevan Lannister had not yet forgiven her for her actions bur orderered her covered up and removed, at which point Cersei is picked up by an eight-foot-tall giant. Qybrun was the only one nice to Cersei and he introcued the giant Kingsguard as Ser Robert Strong, much to her pleasure.

Cersei remained in the Red Keep as she's not allowed to go anywhere outside it, nor she dares to do it. She has now an absolute fear for the smallfolk of King's Landing and has gone quiet since her walk of shame. She stays with Tommen and waits for Myrcella to be back at home, as she has started to travel back to King's Landing while Prince Doran refused to let Trystane go with her and let him stay in Sunspear, the capital of Dorne.

Kevan Lannister ruled as regent and he improved the relations with the Tyrells by naming Lord Mace Tyrell as Hand of the King. Randyll Tarly was disgusted by the men of Gregor Clegane, and suggested to let them take the Black "where such scum belongs", but Kevan doesn't allow this. While Ser Loras is dying of his wounds in Dragonstone, Lord Redwyne finally returns to the Reach, ready to help the lord and Willas Tyrell to fight against King Euron Greyjoy. Finally Kevan has learned that the responsible of the war in the stormlands is not Stannis Baratheon, but a Targaryen pretender leading the Golden Company with Lord Jon Connington, who was thought to be dead in Lys all these years. Kevan  finds himself in a diffcult postion as the Faith has completely taken control over King's Landing and with the Lannister army still in the riverlands, he's surrounded by the Tyrell army and can't openly oppose against the annoyed Mace and Randyll.

Mace disimisses the three living kings in Westeros: he says that Paxter Redwyne will deal with Euron, Stannis will be killed by the Boltons, and that Jon Connington and the Golden Company are not a problem. Kevan however fears that Daenerys Targaryen might join the Golden Company from Meereen. He sends Ser Harys Swyft to Braavos with former Gregor's thug Raff the Sweetling and other guards to deal with the Iron Bank.

Kevan's rule was short lived because he was murdered by Varys and his little birds, right after he revealed to him that the man leading the Golden Company is led by a boy who claims to be King Aegon VI Targaryen, who was thought to be killed as a baby by Ser Gregor. Varys apologized to him, explaining that he needs the realm to remain an chaotic state and that Kevan was doing too much of a good job at fixing it. Kevan's death will only add more tension between Cersei and the Tyrells. Finally winter comes: it's snowing in King's Landing. Cersei is going to be judged by the trial by combat with her champion being Ser Robert Strong. If she wins she will be sent back to Casterly Rock.