Netflix's adaptation of The Witcher, just like the books and games, boasts a whole host of fascinatingly complex relationships.
Calanthe rules over Cintra. Geralt is a Witcher, a monster-hunter for hire, who comes across Calanthe through some odd twists of a destiny he doesn't believe in. The two find themselves allied for a common cause — protect Ciri against the evil, invasive force of Nilfgaard who are hunting her down for her powers. But although the two of them band together and eventually agree that Geralt should be the one to protect Ciri, that doesn't mean they're actually friends.
Witchers Don't Have Friends
Geralt prides himself on being alone. He tells Jaskier he doesn't need anyone and doesn't want anyone to need him, although his firm stance softens when he meets the sorceress Yennefer. Nonetheless, it seems to have been his life mantra for a long time, and he sticks to it for the most part. Jaskier and Yennefer are huge exceptions in an otherwise solitary life. Geralt is simply not interested in having friends.
Neither Do Rulers — For Some
Calanthe seems to feel the same way. Although she's a truly irable woman, she mocks people openly and doesn't seem interested in making herself likable as long as she's both respected and feared — and has her family. She's an awesome woman, but not exactly the warmest person, and she doesn't seem particularly interested in impressing Geralt.
She Doesn't Trust Him With Ciri
Ciri is Calanthe's granddaughter, and Nilfgaard are coming for her from the very start of the series. Calantha is highly aware of this and although Mousseack insists Geralt is best placed to protect her after the Law of Surprise, she disagrees. Although Geralt is a skilled hunter and fighter, it seems Calanthe simply doesn't trust him with something as important as her granddaughter. Perhaps she sees Ciri as better protected within the castle walls than running around with a Witcher.
Not To Mention, She Lies To Him About Who Ciri Is
She goes as far as to lie to Geralt about Ciri's identity, trying to off a young, innocent girl as her granddaughter for Geralt to take away. Not only is this a huge violation of trust, it's also pretty terrible towards the random girl and her family. Imagine being told by the queen you must pretend to be the princess, and leave with a frightening man.
She Has Him Imprisoned
Eventually, Calanthe has Geralt imprisoned as the multiple strands of time throughout the show start to merge.
It's her idea to keep him away from Ciri and although she quickly relents and thinks Ciri should go with him, friends don't throw other friends in jail. It's almost understandable when viewed through the lens of Calanthe just trying to keep her granddaughter safe, but Geralt isn't particularly sympathetic towards her when he's jailed. Fair enough.
He Disagrees With Her Stance Against Duny
When Calanthe's daughter Pavetta tells her she is in love with a cursed man named Duny, Calanthe is not particularly ive. Duny has claimed Pavetta through the Law of Surprise, and Pavetta loves him so much that she has no issue with this. Calanthe is the only one that tries to break them up and despite trying to stay neutral, Geralt's disagreement with such a stance is clear.
He Raises Arms Against Her Men
When a fight breaks out over all this, Geralt is actually daring enough to raise arms against the queen's men. This could have gone very badly for him if the fight was lost, or if Calanthe decided to punish both Geralt and Duny, but fortunately, he gets away with it.
Still, the queen undoubtedly does not appreciate this.
She Tries To Use Him
Not only is it a grievous offense that Geralt raises his sword against the queen's men, he's doing the opposite of what she asks. Before the fight breaks out, she tries to persuade him to be protective of her if anything should happen and he turns her down, claiming to be neutral.
A snub, but also proof he's just lied to her when he's willing to raise his sword arm for Duny.
They're Both Just Too Stubborn
The two of them are ultimately just too stubborn to form a lasting friendship. If Geralt was more open to the Law of Surprise without taking time to accept responsibility, or Calanthe was more willing to trust him, then the two of them might be able to cooperate and form a friendship for the sake of protecting Ciri. Ultimately, the personal issues of each prevent this from happening.
They Never Really Have A Chance
But the main reason they never become real friends? They don't have a chance.
When Geralt finally embraces destiny and Ciri, Calanthe is long gone. She throws herself out of the window to prevent having to surrender to Nilfgaard and meeting a worse fate by their hand. If she had been able to stay around long enough to see Geralt devote his life to protecting a member of her family, perhaps she would have appreciated him more, but their slow-burn friendship has been cut very short. Alas.