[Cersei and Jaime watch a fleet bearing the Greyjoy sigil approach King's Landing]
Jaime LannisterYou invited the Greyjoys to King's Landing?
Jaime Lannister
Well it looks like all of them.
I invited Euron Greyjoy, the new King of the Iron Islands. You said yourself we need stronger, better allies. There you are.
Jaime Lannister
How are they better allies? How are they different from the Freys? They both broke their promises and murdered their former friends as soon as it suited them.
So does everyone, when it suits them. Unlike the Freys, they have ships, and they're good at killing.
Jaime Lannister
They're not good at anything. I know the Ironborn. They're bitter, angry little people. All they know how to do is steal the things they can't build or grow themselves.
Euron Greyjoy didn't come here for that.
Jaime Lannister
What did he come here for, then?
The moment I was chosen Lord of the Iron Islands, they turned on me, their own uncle! They stole my best ships and ran, sailed them right across the world and gave them to the Dragon Queen, so she could bring her armies here to attack you. It's nothing compared to the treason you've suffered at the hands of a family member, from what I hear, but still, it bothers me. Murdering them would make me feel a lot better...and since it appears that all our treasonous family members are fighting for the same side, I thought we rightful monarchs could murder them together!
Jaime Lannister
You're not a rightful monarch though, are you? The Greyjoys rebelled against the throne for the right to be monarchs, but as I recall, you were soundly defeated. Come to think of it, weren't you the one who started that rebellion by sailing to Casterly Rock and burning the Lannister fleet? You certainly caught us there. Very smart move on your part. Of course, we all made it to the Iron Islands anyway. I was there.
I remember very well; I saw you. I heard so much talk: 'The best in the world, no one can stop him'. I didn't believe it to be honest, but I must say, when you rushed through the breach and started cutting people down, it was glorious! Like a dance.
Jaime Lannister
[repulsed] The people I was cutting down were your own kin!
[ambivalent] Place was getting crowded. I enjoyed watching it, I truly did.
Jaime Lannister
And I enjoyed killing Greyjoys.
A good thing for me. If you hadn't crushed us, I wouldn't have gone into exile, and if I hadn't done that, I wouldn't be the greatest captain on the fourteen seas!
You're not humble. [Cersei inclines her head, conceding the point] You're the Queen of a great nation. You don't care about the Iron Islands. There are nothing but rocks and bird shit there and a lot of very unattractive people. The Iron Fleet, on the other hand...that's something else entirely. It's the greatest armada Westeros has ever seen; with the Iron Fleet, you own the seas! You can defeat the invaders in the east and the pretenders in the north and south.
What do you want in return?
Ever since I was a little boy, I wanted to grow up and marry the most beautiful woman in the world. So here I am, with a thousand ships...and two good hands!
You're not trustworthy. You've broken promises to allies before and murdered them at the nearest opportunity. You murdered your own brother.
You should try it. It feels wonderful! I don't expect you to trust me outright. You need proof of my honest intentions. In my experience, the surest way to a woman's heart is with a gift, a priceless gift. I won't return to King's Landing until I have that for you.
Jaime Lannister
Thank you for coming. The other lords of the Reach look to you for guidance now more than ever; they might not have come if you hadn't.
If my queen summons me, I answer the call. And I've heard what she does to those who defy her.
Jaime Lannister
You ride for Horn Hill today?
I have an army to mobilize. Won't be long before the fighting starts.
Jaime Lannister
And which side will you be fighting for? You were the only man to defeat Robert Baratheon in battle. Not even Rhaegar Targaryen could...
It is a long ride back to the Reach, Ser Jaime. How may I serve?
Jaime Lannister
I want you to be my ranking general in the wars to come. I want you to swear allegiance to Cersei, and I want you to help me destroy her enemies. All her enemies.
Including Olenna Tyrell? I'm a Tarly. That name means something. We're not oathbreakers, we're not schemers. We don't stab our rivals in the back or cut their throats at weddings. I swore an oath to House Tyrell.
Jaime Lannister
You swore an oath to the Crown as well, Lord Tarly.
I've known Olenna since I was a child.
Jaime Lannister
She was a great woman once. Now, she's broken. She wants revenge so badly, she brought the Dothraki to our shores. The Dothraki. In Westeros, for the first time in history. I know you don't like my sister, but you have to make a choice. Do you fight with us, or with the foreign savages and eunuchs? When the war is won, the Queen will need a new Warden of the South. I can think of no better man than Randyll Tarly.
[Jaime Lannister confronts Olenna Tyrell in the aftermath of Highgarden's conquest]
Jaime Lannister
It is.
"And now the rains weep o'er our halls." Did we fight well?
Jaime Lannister
As well as could be expected.
It was never really our forte. Golden roses, indeed! Your brother and his new queen thought you would be defending Casterly Rock.
Jaime Lannister
The truth is Casterly Rock isn't worth much any more. Well, it is to me, but my fond childhood memories won't keep Cersei on the Iron Throne.
So you just let them take it?
Jaime Lannister
For now. They won't be able to hold it. Euron Greyjoy's navy burnt their ships, we emptied the larders before we left. Eventually, they'll be forced to abandon their position and march all the way across Westeros.
And you took your army, your real army and went where they weren't.
Jaime Lannister
As Robb Stark did to me at Whispering Wood. There are always lessons in failure.
Yes. You must be very wise by now.
Jaime Lannister
My father always said I was a slow learner.
If he was so clever, why didn't he take Highgarden the moment your gold mines ran dry? I suppose I'll be able to ask him myself soon enough. No more learning from my mistakes, eh? How will you do it? With that sword? That was Joffrey's, wasn't it? Not that he ever used it. What did he call it?
Jaime Lannister
Widow's Wail.
He really was a cunt, wasn't he? I did unspeakable things to protect my family, or watched them being done on my orders. I never lost a night's sleep over them; they were necessary and whatever I imagined necessary for the safety of House Tyrell, I did. But your sister has done things I wasn't capable of imagining. That was my prize mistake; a failure of imagination. She's a monster. You do know that?
Jaime Lannister
To you, I'm sure. To others as well. But after we've won, and there's no one left to oppose us, when people are living peacefully in the world she built, do you really think they'll wring their hands over the way she built it?
You love her. You really do love her. You poor fool. She'll be the end of you.
Jaime Lannister
Possibly. Not much to be gained from discussing it with you, is there?
What better person to discuss it with? What better guarantee do you have that the things you say will never leave this room? But perhaps you're right. If she's driven you this far, then it's gone beyond your control.
Jaime Lannister
Yes. It has.
She's a disease. I regret my role in spreading it. You will too.
Jaime Lannister
I think we're done here.
Jaime Lannister
Cersei had several ideas. Whipping you through the streets and beheading you in front of the Red Keep. Flaying you alive and hanging you from the walls of King's Landing. I talked her out of those. [Jaime pours a vial of poison into a wine glass]
Jaime Lannister
No. I made sure of that.
That's good. [she drinks the poison] I'd hate to die like your son. Clawing at my neck, foam and bile spilling from my mouth, eyes blood-red, skin purple. Must have been horrible for you, as a Kingsguard, as a father. It was horrible enough for me, a shocking scene. Not at all what I intended. You see, I'd never seen the poison work before. Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.
DTDickon Tarly
Ser Jaime.
Jaime Lannister
Rickon.
DTDickon Tarly
Dickon. [Bronn snickers]
Jaime Lannister
I hear you fought bravely at Highgarden. Your first battle? [Dickon nods] And?
DTDickon Tarly
It was glorious.
Come on. Your father's not here.
DTDickon Tarly
All my life, we've been pledged to House Tyrell. I knew some of those men. I hunted with them.
Jaime Lannister
They didn't deserve to die. But Lady Olenna chose to betray her Queen and support the Targaryen girl, so here we are.
DTDickon Tarly
I didn't expect it to smell like that.
Men shit themselves when they die. Didn't they teach you that at fancy-lad school? Well, I learnt it when I was five.
[Bronn stops and frowns in concentration]
Jaime Lannister
What?
[They all hear the sound of approaching cavalry in the distance]
Jaime Lannister
Spears and shields! Spears and shields!
Jaime Lannister
Spears and shields! Spears and shields!
Form up! Come on, lads! Guard those wagons! Form a line!
Jaime Lannister
Fill the gaps!
[A horde of screaming Dothraki warriors rides over the hill and charges towards them]
Jaime Lannister
Spears out!
Get back to King's Landing.
Jaime Lannister
I'm not abandoning my army!
You're the commander, not a damn infantryman! Those fuckers are about to swamp us!
Jaime Lannister
We can hold them off!
[At that moment, they hear a roar and look up in shock as Drogon comes flying towards them with Daenerys on his back]
[Bronn drags Jaime out of the river after the Battle of the Goldroad]
Jaime Lannister
You could've killed me.
The fuck were you doing back there?!
Jaime Lannister
Ending the war. Killing her.
You saw the dragon, between you and her? And? Listen to me, cunt: till I get what I'm owed, a dragon doesn't get to kill you. You don't get to kill you! Only I get to kill you!
Jaime Lannister
That was only one of them. She has two more. If she decides to use them, to really use them...
Jaime Lannister
Don't you mean "we're" fucked?
No, I do not. Dragons are where our partnership ends. I'm not gonna be around when those things start spittin' fire on King's Landing!
Jaime Lannister
I have to tell Cersei.
Might as well jump back in that river.
[Jaime has returned to King's Landing and confronts Cersei]
How many men did we lose?
Jaime Lannister
We haven't done a full accounting.
It's not only armies that win wars. We have the Tyrell gold, we have the Iron Bank behind us; we can buy mercenaries. Not the same as our men, but they'll fight if they're well-paid, which they will be.
Jaime Lannister
I just saw the Dothraki fight. They'll beat any mercenary army. They'll beat any army I've ever seen. Killing our men wasn't war for them, it was sport! Her dragon burnt a thousand wagons! Qyburn's scorpion fired bolts bigger than you, they couldn't stop it and she has three of them! This isn't a war we can win.
So what do we do? Sue for peace? I sit on her father's throne, the father you betrayed and murdered! And in her mind, she's winning! What sort of offer do you think she'd make? Maybe we can count on Tyrion to intercede on our behalf? By way of apology for murdering our father and son...
Jaime Lannister
He didn't.
You saw the crossbow, you saw his body.
Jaime Lannister
I'm not talking about Father. Tyrion didn't kill Joffrey, he had nothing to do with it.
After all this time, it still amazes me that you...
Jaime Lannister
It was Olenna. She confessed before she died.
And was this before or after she drank the poison you so kindly provided for her?!
Jaime Lannister
After.
Jaime Lannister
If you were Olenna, would you rather have seen your granddaughter married to Joffrey or Tommen? Which one would Margaery have been better able to control? Which one would have made Olenna the true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms? She was telling the truth. [Cersei's smug expression twists into one of fury as she realises Jaime is right]
I shouldn't have listened to you. She should have died screaming.
Jaime Lannister
She's dead, like her son, like her grandchildren, her whole House. And if we don't find a way out of this war, we'll follow them.
So we fight and die or we submit and die; I know my choice. A soldier should know his.
[inspecting the dead wight] Can they swim?
Good. I'm taking the Iron Fleet back to the Iron Islands.
What are you talking about?
I've been around the world. I've seen everything, things you couldn't imagine, and this... this is the only thing I've ever seen that terrifies me. [steps towards Daenerys] I'm going back to my island. You should go back to yours. When winter's over, we'll be the only ones left alive. [leaves]
He's right to be afraid. And a coward to run. If those things come for us, there will be no kingdoms to rule. Everything we suffered will have been for nothing. Everything we lost will have been for nothing. The crown accepts your truce. Until the dead are defeated, they are the true enemy.
[Jon and Davos sigh, visibly relieved]
In return, the King in the North will extend this truce. He will remain in the North, where he belongs. He will not take up arms against the Lannisters, he will not choose sides.
Just the King in the North? Not me?
[chuckles] I would never ask it of you. You would never agree to it, and if you did, I would trust you even less than I do now. I ask it only of Ned Stark's son. I know Ned Stark's son will be true to his word.
[A moment of silence, as Jon looks between Davos and Daenerys, then back to Cersei]
I am true to my word... or I try to be. That is why I cannot give you what you ask. I cannot serve two queens. And I have already pledged myself to Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen.
[Daenerys, Davos and Tyrion look dismayed]
Then there is nothing left to discuss. [stands] The dead will come north first, enjoy dealing with them. We will deal with whatever is left of you. [leaves with Jaime, Qyburn and her Queensguard]
Jaime Lannister
It's been good to see you. I imagine the next time will be across a battlefield.
We both saw what just happened. We both saw that... thing!
Jaime Lannister
Yes, and I'm not looking forward to seeing more of them. But I'm loyal to the queen, and you're loyal to Sansa and her dolt brother.
[hits him on the arm] Oh, fuck loyalty!
Jaime Lannister
[incredulous] "Fuck loyalty"?
This goes beyond houses and honour and oaths! Talk to the queen.
[Jaime turns to Cersei, who looks unmoved and leaves]
Jaime Lannister
And tell her what?
[He follows her out, leaving Brienne speechless]
When I was a child, my brother would tell me a bedtime story about the man who murdered our father. Who stabbed him in the back and cut his throat. Who sat down on the Iron Throne and watched as his blood poured onto the floor. He told me other stories as well. About all the things we would do to that man, once we took back the Seven Kingdoms and had him in our grasp. Your sister pledged to send her army north.
Jaime Lannister
She did.
I don't see an army. I see one man with one hand. It appears your sister lied to me.
Jaime Lannister
She lied to me as well. She never had any intention of sending her army north. She has Euron Greyjoy's fleet and 20,000 fresh troops. The Golden Company from Essos. Bought and paid for. Even if we defeat the dead, she'll have more than enough to destroy the survivors.
Jaime Lannister
I promised to fight for the living. I intend to keep that promise.
Your Grace, I know my brother...
Like you knew your sister?
He came here alone, knowing full well how he'd be received. Why would he do that, if he weren't telling the truth?
Perhaps he trusts his little brother to defend him. Right up to the moment he slits my throat.
You're right, we can't trust him. He attacked my father in the streets, he tried to destroy my House and my family the same as he did yours.
Jaime Lannister
Do you want me to apologize? I won't. We were at war! Everything I did, I did for my House and my family. I'd do it all again!
"The things we do for love."
So why have you abandoned your House and your family now?
Jaime Lannister
Because this goes beyond loyalty. This is about survival.
You don't know me well, Your Grace, but I know Ser Jaime. He is a man of honor. I was his captor once, but when we were both taken prisoner and the men holding us tried to force themselves on me, Ser Jaime defended me. And lost his hand because of it. [addressing Sansa] Without him, my lady, you would not be alive. He armed me, armoured me and sent me to find you and bring you home, because he'd sworn an oath to your mother.
You would fight beside him?
I trust you with my life. If you trust him with yours, we should let him stay.
What does the Warden of the North say about it?
We need every man we can get.
[The defenders of Winterfell lay out their battleplans]
They're coming. We have dragonglass, and we have Valyrian steel...but there are too many of them, far too many. Our enemy doesn't tire, doesn't stop, doesn't feel. We can't beat them in a straight fight.
Jaime Lannister
So what can we do?
The Night King made them all, they follow his command. If he falls...getting to him may be our best chance.
Jaime Lannister
If that's true, he'll never expose himself.
Yes, he will. He'll come for me. He's tried many times before, with many three-eyed ravens.
An endless night. He wants to erase this world, and I am its memory.
That's what death is, isn't it? Forgetting, being forgotten. If we forget where we've been and what we've done, we're not men anymore, just animals. [to Bran] Your memories don't come from books. Your stories aren't just stories. If I wanted to erase the world of Men, I'd start with you.
His mark is on me. [Bran shows the claw marks the Night King left on his arm] He always knows where I am.
We'll put you in the crypt where it's safest.
No. We need to lure him into the open before his army destroys us all. I'll wait for him in the godswood.
You want us to use you as bait?!
We're not leaving you alone out there!
He won't be. I'll stay with him, with the Ironborn. [to Bran] I took this castle from you once. Let me defend you now.
We'll hold off the rest of them, for as long as we can.
When the time comes, Ser Davos and I will be on the walls to give you the signal to light the trench.
Ser Davos is perfectly capable of waving a torch on his own. You'll be in the crypt.
Your Grace, I have fought before, I can do it again, alongside the men and women risking their lives-!
There are thousands of them and only one of you. You can't fight as well as them, but you can think better than any of them. You're here because of your mind; if we survive, I'll need it.
The dragons should give us an edge in the field-
If they're in the field, they're not protecting Bran. We need to be near him; not too near or the Night King won't come, but close enough to pursue him when he does.
Dragon fire will stop him?
I don't know. No one's ever tried.
It's strange, isn't it? Almost everyone here has fought the Starks, at one time or another... and here we are in their castle, ready to defend it. Together.
At least we'll die with honor.
I think we might live. [everyone snickers, including him] I, I do! How many battles have we survived, between us? Ser Davos Seaworth, survivor of both the Blackwater and the Battle of the Bastards.
All without a shred of combat ability.
Ser Jaime Lannister, fabled hero of the Siege of Pyke-
Jaime Lannister
Fabled loser of the Battle of Whispering Wood.
Hear, hear! Ser Brienne of Tarth, defeated the Hound. Pardon me, Lady Brienne.
She's not a "Ser?" You're not a knight?
I don't even want to be a knight.
I'm no King. But, if I were... I'd knight you ten times over.
Jaime Lannister
You don't need a King. Any knight can make another knight. [sets down his cup, walks around their chairs and draws his sword] I'll prove it. Kneel, Lady Brienne. [Brienne stares at him, then scoffs] Do you want to be a knight, or not? Kneel.
[Brienne looks first at Podrick, then at Jaime, who both nod to her; she comes over and kneels. Davos, Tormund, Tyrion and Podrick all turn around to watch]
Jaime Lannister
[resting his sword on each of her shoulders, in turn] In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave. In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just. In the name of the Mother, I charge you to defend the innocent. [lowers his sword] Arise, Brienne of Tarth... a knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
[As Brienne stands, smiling, Tormund begins applauding, followed by the others]
[raising his cup] Ser Brienne of Tarth! Knight of the Seven Kingdoms!
How did they find you? [Jaime raises his gilded hand] Did you consider taking it off?
Jaime Lannister
Cersei once called me "the stupidest Lannister".
And you're going back with her, to die with her.
Jaime Lannister
You've underestimated her before.
She's going to die. Unless you can convince her to change her course of action.
Jaime Lannister
Difficult to do from here. [Tyrion holds up a key, Jaime exhales sharply] When have I ever been able to convince Cersei of anything?
Try. If not for yourself, if not for her... then for every one of the million people in that city, innocent or otherwise.
Jaime Lannister
To be honest, I never really much cared for them. Innocent or otherwise.
You do care for one innocent. I know you do. And so does Cersei. She has a reason now.
Jaime Lannister
[shakes his head] The child is the reason she'll never give an inch. All the worst things she's ever done, she's done for her children. It's not impossible that she'll win.
Jaime Lannister
Her enemies' forces have been depleted, as she said they would be. Two of the three dragons are dead. [shrugs] She's evened the odds.
The city will fall tomorrow.
Jaime Lannister
She has the Lannister army, she has the Golden Company.
I defended this city last time it was attacked, I know it better than anyone! It will fall tomorrow!
Jaime Lannister
Then I suppose I'll die tomorrow, if not before.
Why? [sits down in front of Jaime] Escape. The two of you, together. Remember where we met, where they keep the dragon skulls, beneath the Red Keep? [Jaime nods] Take her down there. Keep following the staircases down, down as far as they'll go. You'll come out onto a beach, at the foot of the Keep. A dinghy will be waiting for you. Sail out of the bay. If the winds are kind, you'll make it to Pentos. Start a new life.
Jaime Lannister
Sail right past the Iron Fleet and into a new life? Sounds a lot less likely than Cersei winning this war.
There won't be an Iron Fleet for much longer! Do it! If you don't, you'll never see Cersei again. [pause] Swear to me.
Jaime Lannister
You have my word.
[Tyrion begins unlocking Jaime's chains]
If it works, give the order to ring all the bells in King's Landing and open the gates. That will be our signal that the city has surrendered.
Jaime Lannister
I'll try.
[He pulls his collar off]
I never thought I'd get to repay the favor. Remember, ring the bells and open the gates.
Jaime Lannister
Your Queen will execute you for this.
If Daenerys can make it to the throne without wading through a river of blood, maybe she'll show mercy to the person who made that possible. [Jaime looks at him skeptically] Tens of thousands of innocent lives... one not particularly innocent dwarf. It seems like a fair trade. [pause] If it weren't for you, I never would've survived my childhood.
Jaime Lannister
You would have.
[shakes his head] You were the only one... who didn't treat me like a monster. [tearfully] You were all I had.
[The brothers embrace]
Jaime Lannister
I need to get the Queen out of King's Landing.
Listen! That's the sound of a city dying. It's over.
Jaime Lannister
Well, maybe for you.
[Jaime turns to leave, but stops as he hears Euron drawing his blade]
If you kill another King before you die, they'll sing about you forever.
Jaime Lannister
You're no King.
Oh, but I am. And I fucked the Queen. If I win, I'll bring your head to Cersei so you can kiss her, one last time.
Game of Thrones · 356 quotes
