Warning: spoilers for The Witcher books

The first season of Netflix’s The Witcher saw Nilfgaard attacking Cintra and Ciri escaping, but why is Nilfgaard going after her? Based on the book series of the same name by Andrej Sapkowski, The Witcher made its debut on Netflix in December 2019. The series was one of the streaming giant’s most anticipated releases of the year, and it might be its biggest first TV season ever. It’s not surprising, then, that Netflix decided to renew it for a second season even before the first one was released.

The creative team behind The Witcher decided to take an unconventional approach to this world and tell the stories of three characters set in different places and points in time, eventually converging at the end of the season. Those characters are Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), an enhanced monster hunter; Yennefer of Vengerbeg (Anya Chalotra), a powerful sorceress; and Ciri (Freya Allan), the crown princess of Cintra and who was in the process of discovering her powers. Aside from the many monsters Geralt came across with through season 1, the characters had to deal with a bigger menace: the Nilgaardians and their attack on Cintra.

Related: The Witcher: Nilfgaard History Fans Need To Know

Ciri’s story in The Witcher began with her having to escape Cintra as Nilfgaard attacked, and spent the whole season running and hiding from them. As the world of The Witcher is very rich, one season was definitely not enough to explain everything going on, and viewers were left wondering why Nilfgaard was going after her. Luckily, the books have the answer, and if the series decides to follow her story closely, viewers are in for a big surprise. Ciri is the granddaughter of Queen Calanthe and daughter of Pavetta and Duny a.k.a. Lord Urcheon of Erlenwald. Ciri’s parents died and she was raised by Calanthe and developed powers as she grew. Now, the reason why Nilfgaard is so interested in catching Ciri is rooted in a big family plot twist, and it involves her father.

The Witcher's Freya Allan as Ciri

Although Duny presented himself as Lord Urcheon of Erlenwald, he was actually Emperor Emhyr Var Emreis of Nilfgaard, also known as “The White Flame”. He was believed to be dead by Cintrans, but he went back to Nilfgaard and took over the throne. Emhyr believed in the prophecy of Ithlinne, which claims Emhyr’s son will inherit the Elder Blood and rule the Continent. Now, Ciri, given her family background, has Elder Blood, which grants her powers, and it was prophesized that her child would be the ruler of the world. This means that Nilfgaard is so desperate to catch Ciri because Emhyr wants her to bear his child, something Calanthe would have never approved of.

Netflix’s The Witcher has already hinted at the prophecy and “The White Flame”, but it’s unclear if it will follow this storyline and add this big twist in season 2 (or later) or if Duny and Emhyr will be treated as two different characters. Still, Ciri will continue to be Nilfgaard’s target, but as she’s going to be trained by Geralt and other witchers in season 2, she will surely give them a fight.

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