Renalt

"This isn’t my first time trying to save a princess who others see as a monster..."

- Geralt about Renfri.

Renalt is the het ship between Geralt of Rivia and Renfri from the The Witcher fandom.

Canon
Geralt and Renfri first met when she crosses paths with him after he had killed a monster. When Geralt enters a Blaviken tavern, Renfri calls her guards off and buys him a drink. She cheekily questions what brings him to Blaviken and smiles and says that he's in need of some new clothes.

Later, Renfri tracks Geralt down outside Blaviken and demands to know where to find Stregobor so that she may kill him for the injustices she suffered, saying that Stregobor's man raped her and robbed her before letting her go. Stregobor had used Marillka as a way to invite Geralt over to his tower in an attempt to persuade Geralt into killing Renfri because it was "The Lesser Evil" but Geralt turned down the offer, just as he turns down Renfri's to kill Stregobor, unless she'll slaughter the entire town. After talking, Geralt manages to "persuade" Renfri into realizing that she wouldn't truly become the monster he claims her to be so long as she does not kill him (Stregobor), and he advises Renfri to leave Blaviken and finally live her life in peace.

When Renfri follows Geralt back to his camp, that was the day he realized that humanity didn't need him because he would always be seen as a monster in their eyes. Renfri asks Geralt what he believes in, destiny or the lesser evil. Geralt answers that he believes in none and he doesn't pick sides, he simply just kills monsters. After a moment, Renfri claims that she'll leave Blaviken for good tomorrow, and that he has convinced her. The two gaze at each other intimately and Renfri tucks a strand of hair behind his ear, and makes the move to kiss him, and they spent the night together. The day after, Geralt has a hallucination of Renfri telling him about his destiny, Geralt wakes up saying her name before running to Blaviken's market.

Despite her claim of leaving Blaviken, Renfri takes Marilka hostage and holds a blade to her throat, upon being threatened, Geralt warns Renfri to leave Blaviken, displaying magic as a means to threaten her. However, Renfri tells him that magic has no effect on her, only silver works (which is what's used to kill monsters) Renfri then releases Marilka and attacks Geralt. The two end up having a battle, and upon Geralt pinning Renfri down, she tells him that they were both created as monsters and they aren't so different. Renfri cuts him several times before Geralt manages to disarm her which leaves with only her dagger to combat him with. Geralt lowers her sword, presenting her with an opportunity to attack, however, he evades her attack and stabs her in the throat with her own dagger. Geralt holds Renfri in his arms and gently lowers her down on the ground, as Renfri bleeds out in Geralt's arms, she tells him that "The Girl In The Woods" is his destiny, and she will be with him always.

When Renfri dies, Stregobor approaches her body and calls Marilka to take her to the tower for an autopsy. But Geralt appears behind him, covered in blood he furiously threatens his life, holding Renfri's sword at his neck. Geralt shielded and defend Renfri's body before he was stoned and exiled out of the town. He holds Renfri's brooch in his other hand as he leaves.

Geralt later mutters Renfri's name over and over again when Triss Merigold helps him after he fell unconscious, when he wakes up, Triss notes that he was muttering the name "Renfri" over and over again in his sleep, and that she seemed like someone important. Another time he hallucinated Renfri was when his mother was healing him, Renfri appears first and she gently touches his face for him to wake up.

Throughout the series, Geralt carried Renfri's sword but later lost it during the battle with a Striga, the only thing he had left then was Renfri's brooch. At the finale, he removes the little knife in the middle and sticks the brooch onto his own sword to remember her.

Moments

 * It was in the forest where Renfri told Geralt of Ciri, and in the forest where Ciri and Geralt finally found each other.
 * When a woman that Geralt had hooked up with asked if he had fallen in love with the lady who gave him a cut on the leg (Renfri), he didn't deny it.
 * Geralt and Renfri referred to each other with nicknames, "Princess" and "White Hair"

Quotes
"They created me just as they created you. We’re not so different...!"

- Renfri to Geralt. "The girl in the woods...she is your destiny."

- Renfri to Geralt before her death. "I've made my decision. you gave me an ultimatum and I find they work. Tomorrow, I’ll leave Blaviken, for good… It’s been a long time since someone saw me… when I was a girl, my mother used to run her fingers over my forehead and she’d say, she’d give a lovely lintar to know the thoughts going around in there…"

- Renfri to Geralt before their kiss. "If you touch a single hair on her head, yours will be on the ground next."

- Geralt to Stregobor about Renfri. "Innocent women are dead. But not Renfri, the beautiful one."

- Geralt to Stregobor "Who's Renfri? Hers was the only name you uttered. Over, and over again in your sleep."

- Triss to Geralt.

Fanon
Renalt is the more popular ship in The Witcher fandom, it is rivaled by Yenralt and Geraskier which are much more popular ships, but that does not stop Renalt from being a very popular pairing in The Witcher. Renalt has a big fanbase on Tumblr, Twitter and AO3; it is Geralt's third most popular ship (and third most written ship) and Renfri's most popular ship (and most written).

The ship is also popular for Renfri and Geralt's fight scene, as told by the viewers, it is the most exciting and amazing battle scene in the Netflix Series. A popular art challenge was made after Renfri and Geralt, to re-draw a moment from their fight scene where they're staring at each other while Geralt holds a blade to Renfri's throat.

Songs

 * Renfri's Theme | Netflix's The Witcher
 * The official theme that plays when Renfri and Geralt make love.

Behind The Scenes
"Witcher: Henry Cavill Confirms Connection Between Geralt’s Sword & Renfri."

During an explanation of The Witcher's sword, Henry Cavill says that Renfri's brooch on the hilt of his sword is a reinforcement of Geralt's beliefs and a reminder that he shouldn't get involved in the matters of men because it will always lead to his personal pain (Renfri's death). He adds that when Geralt draws his sword, Renfri's brooch is a reminder that despite how much he may try to achieve good, evil will be somewhere in the corner regardless.

The Witcher showrunner, Lauren Schmidt, says that she didn't know if it was a choice for Geralt to kill Renfri, and her importance is what she leaves with him. She adds that Renfri was the only one to understand the humanity in Geralt that others saw as a mutant.

"The Netflix series gave her [Renfri] a deeper connection with Geralt, aside from warning him about his Child of Surprise: Geralt took her cloak brooch and mounted it onto the hilt of his sword, as a reminder that he “shouldn’t get involved in the affairs of men” because they always lead to his own pain." In an interview regarding Geralt's fight with Renfri, Henry Cavill says that there was a different side of him when he was with her, compared to how he he was fighting everyone else."I don't think it was a choice for him to kill her. She’s probably the only person who understands the humanity that is underneath the mutant skin he wears for the rest of the world. Her importance is what she leaves with him. Geralt, throughout the rest of the season, carries Renfri’s death with him, Renfri’s reminder to Geralt is to find humanity in situations where he might tend to act violently. Geralt leaves the first episode not quite sure if he did the right thing."

- Lauren Schmidt about Renfri and Geralt. "That look is killer. Throughout his adventures, Geralt – he of many names – will know and bed many, many women (especially in the first Witcher game). His great love is Yennefer; he had a thing with Triss. But it is Renfri, I believe, who deserves the mythic title of ‘the one that got away’. The Netflix show botched how they presented Renfri’s story – it wasn’t easy to catch why Geralt had to go against her (it was to save the town – Renfri was going to kill everyone in Blaviken to force her wizard enemy to come down his tower) or that hidden dagger (in the novels) when she was moments from dying. The show’s shortcomings aside, the actress Emma Appleton gave a powerful, captivating performance. Every single second she was present, she commanded the scene – and that’s a huge thing considering there’s a mutant superman hunk in there with her. She’s is Geralt’s mirror image. She’s been called a mutant, a monster. She’s fabled, she’s lethal with a sword. Like him, she’s trapped between who she had to be and who she wants to become. And she would very much like to believe she’s still human, just like the white-haired Witcher. Geralt’s encounter with Renfri will affect him in profound ways that even he won’t be fully cognizant of. But she’s there, underneath everything. Even without him knowing, she’ll be there in his choices, in his compassion to the outcasts. She’ll be in his dreams, it will be her name he’ll call out when he’s delirious and near death. Geralt may have made his choice, but that doesn’t mean he’s free of her. No. not at all. Not even a little bit."

- GreekyGood-Press about Renfri and Geralt.

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Trivia

 * Screenrant wrote an article about why Renfri could've been better for Geralt rather than Yennefer.
 * Renfri and Geralt are on the list of the article "The Witcher: 10 Couples That Would Have Made A Lot Of Sense."
 * Geralt and Renfri's final scene is 7th place on the list of the "Top 10 Best Heartwarming Scenes Of The Witcher From Entire Series"