[Transcription: citation taken from A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin. The quote reads: My councillors. Cersei had uprooted every rose, and all those beholden to her uncle and her brothers. In their places were men whose loyalty would be to her. She had even given them new styles, borrowed from the Free Cities; the queen would have no “masters” at court beside herself. Orton Merryweather was her justiciar, Gyles Rosby her lord treasurer. Aurane Waters, the dashing young Bastard of Driftmark, would be her grand admiral.]
The “My councillors” honestly breaks my heart a bit all the times I read this.
Cersei just wants power and recognition. Cersei, fundamentally, wants to be a better version of all the men in her life. She wants to be better than Jaime (an easy task now that he can’t use a sword), better than Tywin, and she already believes herself to be far above Robert, Tyrion, and many others.
And these are her councillors. A terrible bunch of idiots, to be sure, but they’re hers and hers alone, she chose them for her reasons, she uses and manipulates them as she pleases, and they do whatever she wants.
And her father, Robert, hell, even her brothers, would have never thought that she was capable of having her councillors, of handling a council, the crown, all by herself. I mean, she doesn’t do these things well, but in this moment, in her head, she does, hence that is her reality.
Cersei believes to be on her way to show all these stupid men, who thought of her as a lesser being for being a woman, that she is better than them, and this is all I care about.
