Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’ follows the story of Cirilla of Cintra, whose life is changed after her kingdom falls into chaos when the southern kingdom, Nilfgaard, declares war on them. She grew up under the aegis of her grandmother, Calanthe, and never knew her parents, who died long ago. As Ciri is forced to go out into the world on her own, she discovers strange secrets about her parents and about her own past that make her reconsider everything she thought she knew about herself.
One of the twists in the finale of Season 2 is that the king of Nilfgaard is actually Ciri’s father, who was supposed to have died years ago with his mother. He declares war on Cintra to get to Ciri, but that’s not the only thing he wants from her. While the show is yet to delve into what Emhyr, previously known as Duny, wants from Ciri, it has given enough hints to allow the audience to make educated guesses. If you are wondering what Emhyr’s plans are for Ciri, here’s what you should know.
What Does Emhyr Want From Ciri?
In the third season, whenever Emhyr talks about Ciri, he talks about her in terms of his daughter. He expresses his desire to be reunited with her, but if that’s the only thing he wanted, why didn’t he just go to Cintra and meet with her? Why did he have to wage war when he could have simply knocked on the door and met with her like a normal father? Why did Emhyr hide his identity for so long, and why does he continue to do so? All these questions point towards one thing. Whatever Emhyr wants with Ciri is not just because he loves his daughter.
According to the books by Andrej Sapkowski, on which the Netflix series is based, Emhyr wants to marry Ciri. It explains why he has kept his identity and connection with her secret. He doesn’t want people to know he is marrying his daughter because no one approves of incest, even if he is an Emperor. The thought of marrying his daughter hadn’t always been on his mind. When Emhyr was still Duny, he wholeheartedly loved Ciri’s mother, Pavetta. The seed of this vile thought was put into his mind by Vilgefortz.
Vilgefortz was one of the first people to know about Ciri’s lineage and the powers she would inherit as the descendant of Lara Dorren. He knew about Ithlinne’s prophecy, which confirmed that Ciri would have power beyond anything the Continent had ever known. Vilgefortz wanted that power for himself. Despite being a powerful mage, he knew he couldn’t simply get his hands on the Princess of Cintra. But then, he discovered that Duny was actually the son of the previous emperor of Nilfgaard and wanted to get his kingdom back.
With the power and resources of an empire in the palm of his hand, Vilgefortz could easily get to Ciri. So, he manipulated Duny and told him about Ciri’s bloodline and her powers. He also told Duny that if he married Ciri, their child would rule half the world, and their grandchild would rule the whole world. This was incentive enough for Duny to give up all sense of what he was supposed to be to Ciri. He tried to get her away when he got on the ship with Pavetta, but his wife discovered his plans and hid Ciri back in Cintra. Duny didn’t find out about it until they were halfway through their journey.
Eventually, when Duny returned to Nilfgaard and became Emhyr, he decided to do what Vilgefortz had told him all those years ago. He threw all his resources into finding Ciri and bringing her to Nilfgaard. With the war breaking out in the Continent, having Ciri by his side also became a political maneuver that could help him establish more control over the northern kingdoms, given how important Cintra was.
By the end of Season 3, Emhyr has Ciri (even though it’s a fake one). The show still hasn’t confirmed whether or not he really wants to marry her, but considering everything, things could very well be on that path. The show is known to deviate from the books, so Emhyr’s intentions might change and could be more focused on getting Ciri’s powers. However, it looks like marrying his daughter could still be on the agenda for now.
