History Main / BodyGuardBetrayal

** Ser Jaime Lannister, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, known as "The Kingslayer" for his killing of Aerys II Targaryen during Robert's rebellion, leading even people on the rebel side to consider him an untrustworthy villain due to the closeness of the betrayal. It says something about how [[CrapsackWorld bad things had gotten]] because, by the time Jaime is made Lord Commander, it's not just an unpopular political appointment: he probably was the best one left for the job. Yes, the despised ''Kingslayer'' was ''the best Kingsguard knight they had''. He had [[TheCaligula a good reason]], for that betrayal of his, however... not that people fully admit it. That no one else knows the full story, which would exonerate him even more (that he killed Aerys after learning the Mad King planned to burn all of King's Landing with wildfire and kill the whole populace rather than let the city be taken by the rebels), yet he ''still'' was made Lord Commander, just further reinforces both the dominance of his House ''and'' the general crapsackiness of the situation given that, bar Barristan Selmy, he was better than any others.

* In the second season of the ''Manga/BlackButler'' anime, CreepyChild Alois Trancy's servant Claude [[MeaningfulName Faustus]] — who is supposed to be bound to him by an incontrovertible DealWithTheDevil contract — responds to an impassioned speech about [[LivingEmotionalCrutch how badly Alois needs him]] by crushing his skull between his hands. AlasPoorVillain.

* ''Literature/HeraldsofValdemar'':

* In the ''Literature/JackRyan'' novel ''Executive Orders'', an Iranian sleeper agent inserted into the US Secret Service, years ago, is activated to assassinate Jack Ryan. Another Iranian sleeper agent at the start of the book succeeds in killing "The Moustache" (presumably Saddam Hussein, from context elsewhere in the book, but never mentioned by name), years after working his way into the Iraqi [[StateSec security service]] and working up through the ranks.

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. In "Legacy", Tobias Church assembles the various mob bosses of Star City and tells them to work for him. And then he demonstrates how he's already infiltrated their organizations by having one of them shot in the back by his own bodyguard.

** When the Gold Cloaks turn on Ned at the end of "You Win Or You Die."

* The 1989 TV movie ''Red King, White Knight'' has RenegadeRussian KGB hiring a foreign terrorist to kill Premier Gorbachev. Turns out they're not relying on the assassin to do the job. As Gorbachev is bundled into his limousine to escape the attack, one of his bodyguards goes to shoot the Premier, only to be shot by the protagonist JustInTime.

* In the MirrorUniverse episode of ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' ("In a Mirror, Darkly"), [[TheCaptain Jonathan Archer]] plans to become Emperor by forcing the current one to step down with his advanced USS ''Defiant'' from the normal Trek verse. In his moment of triumph, his lover Hoshi Sato and his bodyguard (and ''her'' lover) Travis Mayweather poison him, and Hoshi declares herself Empress.

* ''Mindstar Rising'' by Creator/PeterFHamilton. TheMole working for the BigBad turns out to be one of Julia Evans' own bodyguards. [[FailedASpotCheck They belatedly realise]] he's been off sick on the days that the psychic hired by Julia to check her security is on duty.

* In ''The Manhua/RavagesOfTime'', when [[spoiler:the Sima clan mutinies against the Prime Minister Cao Cao, the Sima clan troops' leader at the family residence Xu Ding reveals himself as TheMole, then "the loyal one" Guo Ang loses his arm to one of his own men at Xu Ding's behest, after which Xu Ding and company proceed to mostly annihilate the Sima clan present there]] -- kicking off [[spoiler:Sima Yi's own planned revenge of [[TheStarscream worming his way up the ranks of the Cao faction before overthrowing Cao Cao]]]].

* A frequent occurrence within TheMafia. Victims include Carmine Galante, Joe Columbo (who survived but was left in a vegetative state), Sam Giancana, and Albert Anastasia.

* Happened to more than a few Roman emperors, including UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}.

** Jaime Lannister, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, known as "The Kingslayer" for his killing of Aerys II Targaryen during Robert's rebellion, leading even people on the rebel side to consider him an untrustworthy villain due to the closeness of the betrayal. It says something about how [[CrapsackWorld bad things had gotten]] because, by the time Jaime is made Lord Commander, it's not just an unpopular political appointment: he probably was the best one left for the job. Yes, the despised ''Kingslayer'' was ''the best Kingsguard knight they had''. He had [[TheCaligula a good reason]], for that betrayal of his, however... not that people fully admit it. That no one else knows the full story, which would exonerate him even more (that he killed Aerys after learning the Mad King planned to burn all of King's Landing with wildfire and kill the whole populace rather than let the city be taken by the rebels), yet he ''still'' was made Lord Commander, just further reinforces both the dominance of his House ''and'' the general crapsackiness of the situation given that, bar Barristan Selmy, he was better than any others.
** A member of the Kingsguard tries to murder Tyrion Lannister during the Battle of the Blackwater. He immediately suspects his sister Queen Cersei is behind the attack, though we have no confirmation in her point-of-view chapters.

** As noted above, the culture of Westeros generally takes a very dim view of this kind of thing, regardless of which side is left writing or singing the histories. There is, however, one other notable exception living solidly in ConflictingLoyalty territory. When the last two members of House Durrandon both decided to defy the Targaryens, their remaining guards (both city and personal) came to the reasonable conclusion that they'd rather ''not'' repeat the lesson learned from [[KillItWithFire Harrenhal]], thanks. After they learned of the defeat of the last Storm King (and his whole army) on the field, and upon hearing his daughter swearing DefiantToTheEnd vengeance in response, they promptly gave the walled city and keep of Stormsend up to the Targaryen army... after capturing, stripping and then wrapping their [[ItRunsInTheFamily stubbornly defiant]] "Storm Queen", Argella, in chains. They then unceremoniously dumped her at the feet of her future husband, Orys Baratheon, as part of the surrender. Although they're not lauded for these actions, they're conspicuously not condemned for them, either. Because... what ''the hell else'' are you supposed to do against a real, live [[WeaponOfMassDestruction fully-grown, castle-killing dragon]] ''known'' to be capable of melting stone (Meraxes, ridden by Rhaenys Targaryen), [[NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight when all you have is, basically, a pike line]] on top of some suddenly very [[KnowWhenToFoldEm flimsy-feeling walls]], since most of your army buddies have already become mince or charcoal ''and'' you've got a city of civilians to defend? Yeah.

** Jaime Lannister, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, known as "The Kingslayer" for his killing of Aerys II Targaryen during the Robert's rebellion, leading even people on the rebel side to consider him an untrustworthy villain due to the closeness of the betrayal. It says something about how [[CrapsackWorld bad things had gotten]] because, by the time Jaime is made Lord Commander, it's not just an unpopular political appointment: he probably was the best one left for the job. Yes, the despised ''Kingslayer'' was ''the best Kingsguard knight they had''. He had [[TheCaligula a good reason]], for that betrayal of his, however... not that people fully admit it. That no one else knows the full story, which would exonerate him even more (that he killed Aerys after learning the Mad King planned to burn all of King's Landing with wildfire and kill the whole populace rather than let the city be taken by the rebels), yet he ''still'' was made Lord Commander, just further reinforces both the dominance of his House ''and'' the general crapsackiness of the situation given that, bar Barristan Selmy, he was better than any others.

** Jaime Lannister, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, known as "The Kingslayer". It says something about how [[CrapsackWorld bad things had gotten]] because, by the time Jaime is made Lord Commander, it's not just an unpopular political appointment: he probably was the best one left for the job. Yes, the despised ''Kingslayer'' was ''the best one they had''. He had [[TheCaligula a good reason]], for that betrayal of his, however... not that people fully admit it. That no one else knows the full story (which would exonerate him even more), yet he ''still'' was made Lord Commander, just further reinforces both the dominance of his House ''and'' the general crapsackiness of the situation given that, bar Barristan Selmy, he was better than any others.

* [[ForWantOfANail Had he not been]] [[MinorCrimeRevealsMajorPlot caught passing counterfeit money]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commander-in-Chief%27s_Guard Life Guard]] member [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hickey_(soldier) Thomas Hickey]] could have done this to UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington. Hickey claimed to be part of a conspiracy of many soldiers who planned to defect to the British side of the War of Independence.

** As noted above, the culture of Westeros generally takes a very dim view of this kind of thing, regardless of which side is left writing or singing the histories. There is, however, one other notable exception living solidly in ConflictingLoyalty territory. When the last two members of House Durrandon both decided to defy the Targaryens, their remaining guards (both city and personal) came to the reasonable conclusion that they'd rather ''not'' repeat the lesson learned from [[KillItWithFire Harrenhal]], thanks. After they learned of the defeat of the last Storm King (and his whole army) on the field, and upon hearing his daughter swearing DefiantToTheEnd vengeance in response, they promptly gave the walled city and keep of Stormsend up to the Targaryen army... after capturing, stripping and then wrapping their [[ItRunsInTheFamily stubbornly defiant]] "Storm Queen", Argella, in chains. They then unceremoniously dumped her at the feet of her future husband, Orys Baratheon, as part of the surrender. Although they're not lauded for these actions, they're conspicuously not condemned for them, either. Because... what ''the hell else'' are you supposed to do against a real, live [[WeaponOfMassDestruction fully-grown, castle-killing dragon]] ''known'' to be capable of melting stone (Meraxes, ridden by Rhaenys Targaryen), [[NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight when all you have is, basically, a pike line]] on top of some suddenly very [[KnowWhenToFoldEm flimsy-feeling walls]], since most of your army buddies have already become mince or charcoal ''and'' you've got a city of civilians to defend? [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Yeah]].