Does Triss Die in ‘The Witcher’ Books? Here’s What Happens to Her

The Witcher fans can’t ignore the Triss, Yennefer, and Geralt love triangle because she is in love with Geralt just like Yennefer. While Yennefer got the man, Triss is not going anywhere, especially having just saved Geralt’s life in Season 3 of the show. Now that she seems set for a bigger role in The Witcher’s life in the show, many fans want to know whether Triss Merigold dies in the books.

Despite being declared dead after the battle of Sodden Hill, Triss survived, albeit with extreme scarring, and continues to play a big role in Geralt’s life in The Witcher books. While the show hasn’t given it much weight up to the third season, Triss never stops loving Geralt in the books. She even uses a love potion on Geralt, leading to a relationship, but Geralt leaves her and goes back to Yennefer when the spell wears off.

While both Triss and Yennefer are in love with Geralt, the two are still good friends, as portrayed in the books as well as the Netflix show. Triss is also one of the most important people in Ciri’s life, having taught her many things during their time at Kaer Morhen. Geralt now owes his life to Triss, and Triss’ love for him is no secret, so let’s look at how her relationship with The Witcher pans out in the books.

Is Triss Merigold dead in ‘The Witcher’?

Triss Merigold is still alive at the end of the show’s third season, having survived the battle for Aretuza. She actually saved Geralt after being wounded by Vilgefortz. Triss found Geralt bleeding in the water and took him to the Dryads of Brokilon forest for treatment.

When Scoia’tael and Nilfgardians overran Aretuza in “Everybody Has A Plan `til They Get Punched In The Face” (s03e06), Yennefer ran back to help Tissaia and ordered Triss to leave and find Geralt.

In the show, Triss first meets Geralt while working as the adviser to King Foltest of Tameria, having been sent there to find a way of killing a Striga that was terrorizing the kingdom.

Geralt helped cure the curse on the princess that had caused her to become a Striga. And while they parted ways after that, Triss showed her attraction for Geralt, although he acted cold towards her.

Triss then fought with the other mages against the Nilfgardian empire at Sodden Hill, where she caused poisonous mushrooms to sprout on the battlefield. Unfortunately, she was grievously wounded and burned while guarding the gate when Fringilla and the Nilfgardian army arrived. She was found and taken back to Aretuza, where Tissaia and the other mages treated her.

Yenneffr offered to help find a cure for her scars, which Triss was ashamed of, but she objected, opting to remain grateful for being alive instead. Triss is actually allergic to magical potions, so using magic to cure her was not an option. She remains close with Yenefer, having developed a bond while training in Aretuza under Tissaia.

After the battle of Sodden Hill, Geralt contacted Triss from Kaer Morhen, seeking her help to figure out Ciri’s magical powers, which The Witchers couldn’t understand. While at Kaer Morhen, Triss expressed her love for Geralt and asked him to sleep with her, but Geralt rebuffed her advances.

Triss went on to create a strong bond with Ciri because she was the only other woman in Kaer Morhen, and she understood many things that the Witchers didn’t. Triss later advised Geralt to take Ciri to the Temple of Melitele.

It is unclear whether Yennefer knows about Triss’ feelings for Geralt in the show, but the two have always been friends and are likely to continue fighting on the same side.

As for Geralt, he also has a soft spot for Triss, although his relationship with Yennefer is engraved in stone, so his will-it-will-it-not relationship with Triss is likely to continue.

What happened to Triss in the books?

Triss Merigold is still alive in the books after surviving both the battles of Sodden Hill and Aretuza. She also saves Geralt’s life by taking him to Brokilon forest in the books but with Tissaia’s help. Throughout the books, Triss plays a big role in Yennefer, Ciri, and Geralt’s lives.

Triss is also called The Fourteenth of the Hill because, while she survives the battle of Sodden Hill, she is initially presumed dead. She becomes the fourteenth when she is mistakenly named among the 13 mages that die in the battle.

In reality, Triss was badly burned, losing all her hair and deforming her face, so no one could identify her except Yennefer, who was unfortunately blind at the time. Her appearance is not repaired in the books, unlike the show where her face and hair remain intact.

Events in the books after the battle of Sodden Hill are pretty similar to those in the show, including Kaer Morhen, where Triss stops the Witchers from performing the Trial of Grasses on Ciri, which would have rendered her barren. Triss also shares a moment with Geralt in the books, which is more significant than in the show.

Triss and Geralt’s relationship in the books starts out of curiosity when the mage uses a love potion on him, knowing he is in a relationship with Yennefer. Triss accidentally falls in love with Geralt during their short-lived relationship, which ends when Geralt feels guilty for cheating on Yennefer.

Geralt never admits it, but he also has feelings for Triss, just like in the show, but he chooses to stay loyal to Yennefer. Triss also reluctantly gives up on the relationship, but her feelings for Geralt never change.

Despite feeling uncomfortable around Geralt because of her feelings for him, Triss always agrees to work with Geralt to help Ciri. Triss also remains friends with Yennefer and Ciri in the books and always comes to help them whenever they need her.

Does Geralt end up with Triss?

Although the games have the option of Triss ending up with Geralt, it doesn’t happen in the books. The Witcher games present a different picture of the love triangle where Triss and Yeneffer squabble over Geralt. While Geralt tends to choose Yennefer over Triss, players can choose for Geralt to end up with either mage.

However, Yennefer and Geralt are presented as two sides of a coin in the books and Triss is not really a threat to the relationship. While Triss remains good friends with Ciri, she is not tied to her by destiny like Yennefer.

Geralt is also tied to Yennefer by destiny, having chosen to save her life. Whatever Geralt does, he will always end up with Yennefer, so Triss never stands a chance in the books. However, the show doesn’t have to stick with the book’s storyline, so a Geralt-Triss relationship might still happen in future episodes of The Witcher.