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This question contains spoilers for Season 8 Episode 1. Cersei has ordered Bronn to go assassinate

both her brothers.

I understand her motives for wanting to murder

Tyrion, but I thought Jaime and her were still cool!

Have I missed something fundamental in the plot?

So my question:

Why does Cersei want Jaime dead too?

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  • @KharoBangdo I've left your title edit in place but it is hardly a spoiler that Cersei gave an order to someone under her command.
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Apr 15, 2019 at 15:49
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    @TheLethalCarrot Since when is Bronn under Cersei's command? It's a spoiler to people who've only got as far as when he's still Tyrion's man.
    – Rand al'Thor ♦
    Apr 15, 2019 at 16:39
  • @TheLethalCarrot We should not spoil this early in the day since most questions will end up on HNQ. My title still makes sense as a question title without revealing much
    – KharoBangdo
    Apr 15, 2019 at 16:51
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    @Randal'Thor it could be argued that he was always under the command of whomever (promises to) pay(ed) him the most.
    – JJJ
    Apr 15, 2019 at 16:53
  • She is just a mean bitch that wants the world to burn.
    – Tyler Durden
    Apr 16, 2019 at 8:11

1 Answer 1

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Jaime abandoned her to go north and join the fight against the White Walkers and the army of the dead at the end of Season 7. This is treason and the fact that he abandons her for "someone else" is probably enough for her to act out of spite and get rid of him to.

JAIME: I pledged to ride north. I intend to honor that pledge.

CERSEI: And that would be treason.

JAIME: Treason?!

CERSEI: Disobeying your Queen’s command. Fighting with her enemies. What would you call it?

Game of Thrones, Season 7 Episode 7, "The Dragon and the Wolf" - Official Script

It's worth noting that Jaime no longer trusts or believes in her anymore which is also probably part of the reason here. He doesn't believe her that she is pregnant and seems to have officially given up on her so whilst she didn't have him killed on the spot she's thought about it more now and wants him gone. Perhaps she just didn't want to watch him die.

CERSEI: There’s one more yet to come.

[...]

JAIME: (quiet) I don’t believe you.

After a long beat, Jaime turns and walks away, right past the Mountain and his drawn sword.

Cersei watches. She does not give the command

Game of Thrones, Season 7 Episode 7, "The Dragon and the Wolf" - Official Script

It's also worth noting that Bronn is friends with both Tyrion and Jaime so it could just be a strategic move on Cersei's part to attempt to get rid of Jaime and Tyrion but also get rid of a potential enemy from her vicinity.

As starpilotsix has said in a comment we can't rule out Qyburn having given the order off of his own back without Cersei's knowledge. In the scene we only ever see Qyburn and a Queensguard member (I think) so he could be acting independently.

I personally doubt this is the case as Qyburn has a lot to be thankful for to Cersei and even more to gain if they win. I doubt he'd throw it away over something like this but it could be possible. In his own words:

QYBURN: When the Citadel expelled me, I thought I would die poor and alone, but in exchange for my service, Queen Cersei made me her Hand. What would she do for the man who rids her of her treasonous brothers?

Game of Thrones, Season 8 Episode 1, "Winterfell"

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    It might also be worth pointing out that TECHNICALLY we don't know for sure she gave this order. The scene where it is revealed we only saw her Hand assign Bronn to do it and say she wanted it. Now it's likely she did give the order, but in show with this much scheming we can't rule out the possibility he made the order entirely on his own, or modified it to include Jaime when Cersei only ordered Tyrion dead, etc.
    – starpilotsix
    Apr 15, 2019 at 16:20
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    I actually think the Qyburn quote supports the theory. If he's wondering what wonderous rewards await him for such an act, it's almost as if he's trying to give her a "surprise gift", hoping she'll appreciate the treat in solving the problem she couldn't solve. And with the wording, he appears to separate "my service" and "ridding her of her treasonous brothers" as distinct items. Then again, when Euron leaves her chambers mentioning a child, she does act as if she's suddenly reminded of Jaime and appears to feel a tinge of remorse regarding an action she's undertaken.
    – Lightness Races in Orbit
    Apr 15, 2019 at 16:32
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    Who will rid me of these meddling siblings...
    – Yakk
    Apr 15, 2019 at 17:03
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    Does Jamie actually doubt she's pregnant? She tells him in an earlier episode, so that wasn't the first time he heard this news, and his "I don't believe you" line seemed to be saying he doesn't believe she'd order the Mountain to kill him.
    – Question Marks
    Apr 15, 2019 at 20:06
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    @QuestionMarks I interpreted that line to be about the baby, the kill order and Cersei in general. That said I included that part of the script to also show Jaime leaving Cersei and giving up on her.
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Apr 15, 2019 at 20:10

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