Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’ follows the eponymous character on a journey through the Continent as he comes face to face with destiny. Geralt of Rivia was mutated into a Witcher to kill monsters, but fate leads him to young Ciri, who has no idea how powerful she is. They are joined in their journey by Yennefer, a powerful sorceress with a complicated past. As their paths collide, Geralt and Yennefer protect Ciri from the nefarious forces that want her to become more powerful. As they journey together, they start to resemble a mismatched dysfunctional family. SPOILERS AHEAD
Geralt: Not Ciri’s Biological Father
Geralt serves as a father figure to Ciri, but he is not her biological father. They are connected by the Law of Surprise, which Geralt claimed before Ciri was born. The events that tied together their destiny unfolded during a banquet at Cintra hosted by Queen Calanthe. The rulers of several kingdoms showed up to ask for her daughter Pavetta’s hand in marriage. Duny was one of them.
Years ago, Calanthe’s husband was gravely injured and was helped by Duny. In return for his help, Duny claimed the Law of Surprise, according to which the King would have to give him what he had but didn’t know. When the King returned, he discovered his wife had given birth to a daughter. As a result of this, Duny could claim Pavetta for himself. However, Calanthe was perturbed by the fact that Duny looked like a monster. He revealed that he was cursed as a boy.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Pavetta had already met Duny and had fallen in love with him. When her mother ordered her soldiers to kill Duny, Geralt came in defense of the man/beast. While Geralt was trained to kill beasts, he knew about Duny’s curse. Moreover, Duny had not harmed anyone, so there was no reason for Geralt or anyone else to harm him.
Eventually, Calanthe succumbs to the rule and gives Pavetta’s hand in marriage to Duny. This is when the curse breaks, and Duny turns back into a human. He thanks Geralt for helping and saving his life and wants to give him something in return. Geralt is not interested in getting rewards, so he claims the Law of Surprise, not expecting anything. However, it turns out that Pavetta is pregnant, and Duny doesn’t know about it. According to the law, Duny’s child is bound by destiny to Geralt. Years later, he returns to claim the child, Ciri.
Duny: Ciri’s True Father
Ciri is the daughter of Pavetta and Duny, a knight who was cursed to become a beast when he was a boy. It is a relief for everyone when he turns back into a human, but no one knows there is more to Duny’s story. He is not a regular commoner, but Emhyr, the son of the former King of Nilfgaard, was killed by the Usurper who took the throne. The Usurper had a mage curse Emhyr to turn into a beast, believing that this would keep him ostracised and he wouldn’t be able to rally the forces to regain his kingdom.
Emhyr changes his name to Duny and later crosses paths with the King of Cintra, which entangles his destiny with Pavetta’s. After they get married, Pavetta and Duny go on a voyage but are killed in a sea storm. Ciri, who was left behind, is raised by her grandmother, Calanthe, completely unaware that the Witcher claimed her in the Law of Surprise. When Nilfgaard attacks Cintra, Geralt decides to take Ciri away to keep her safe. Calanthe resists and imprisons him. She doesn’t want to be separated from her granddaughter. However, when Cintra falls to Nilfgaard, she tells Ciri to find Geralt. Eventually, they meet each other.
In the finale of Season 2, we discover that Duny never really died at sea. He faked his death to prepare for what he wanted to do since he was a boy. He rallied the forces and took back Nilfgaard from the Usurper. He knew that Calanthe wouldn’t simply return his daughter, so he attacked the kingdom to get Ciri, who has no idea that the new Emperor of Nilfgaard is her father.
Read More: What Happened to Ciri’s Mother Pavetta in The Witcher?
