Since season 1 of The Witcher, the lives of Geralt (Henry Cavill) and Cirilla of Cintra (Freya Allan) have been deeply intertwined. Along with Jaskier, Geralt attended a party at the court of Cintra and became linked to the unborn Cirilla through “The Law of Surprise.” He aided Princess Pavetta and her beloved Duny in their plans for marriage. As the couple had nothing to give Geralt in return for his help, Geralt invoked The Law of Surprise. His “surprise” from the couple would be becoming the protector of their unborn daughter, Cirilla.
For most of the first season, Cirilla and Geralt searched for each other. Geralt spent much of season 2 training Ciri in the ways of the witchers. Cirilla needs to be ready to fight because everyone seems to be searching for her. The elves, the kingdom of Redania, and the southern empire Nilfgaard are all looking to grab her first. Most want her power for their own benefit, but the Emperor of Nilfgaard may be after her for a more basic reason. We see a bit more of the mysterious Emperor Emhyr var Emreis (Bart Edwards) in season 3 and learn more about his motivations.
From a hedgehog to an emperor
During the first two seasons of The Witcher, the emperor of Nilfgaard was a threat looming over everyone’s heads. The kingdom of Cintra fell against Nilfgaard infiltrators and sent Ciri running for her life. The mages went to battle against the forces of Nilfgaard and barely won. Yet Nilfgaard couldn’t be all bad because they also extended sanctuary to the persecuted elf clans. Many see the emperor as a scourge, but the people who follow the leader of the southern empire revere him. They lovingly refer to him as “The White Flame”—a guiding light for a better future on the Continent.
In the last moments of season 2, we finally saw the face of the divisive leader. Emperor Emhyr var Emreis turned out to be none other than the knight we previously knew as Duny. If you forgot, Duny was a knight who looked like a hedgehog due to an unjust curse until they broke the spell in season 1. He is also the father, and only living relative, of Cirilla. This character seems to have two very different sides.
On the one hand, we see him acting personably with some of his subjects. After a blacksmith forged a sword for him, Emhyr stays in her tent to tell her a story of how he slayed the usurper of his throne. He painted a utopian picture of how life would be once he ruled the Continent. In another scene, he burned pictures of his deceased wife and himself. Yet he kept a painting of Cirilla as a baby, holding it close to him.
However, Emhyr is also ruthless. He severely punished his once-loyal officers, Fringilla and Cahir. Emhyr only accepted Cahir after telling him to murder one of Cahir’s only friends. He also has no qualms about using the elves to further his plans while they suffer. It was Emhyr who killed the baby of the elf queen to keep them under his control. Only Cahir and a few others know that Emhyr is the father of the much-sought-after Cirilla. Most likely, he keeps that information close to him to ensure no one uses it (or her) against him. As Ciri has no idea that her father is still alive, it is unclear how the two would interact if reunited. It will be interesting to see how Emhyr’s plotting affects the future of The Witcher.
(featured image: Netflix)
