Nina Zenik is a Heartrender for the Second Army and a spy for The Darkling.
Biography[]
Finding the rogue Grisha[]
Nina was tasked with finding those aiding in the escape of rogue Grisha from Ravka. Her last report before being captured by the drüskelle was that she was crossing the Fold with the Conductor and three Grisha defectors from Ketterdam.
Captured by the drüskelle[]
Nina is held up at a boarding house in Novokribirsk, where she works with the Conductor to smuggle/kidnap deserters from the Little Palace but only to collect evidence to prosecute Arken Visser. As she awaits the Conductor's arrival, Nina is attacked by the drüskelle — Fjerdan "witch" hunters. She attempts to fend off her attackers but is outnumbered and subdued.
Nina is shackled and placed in the lower deck of a ship with other Grisha victims bound for the Ice Court, where they will face a sham "trial". When Matthias Helvar comes to bring her food, and she calls him a slaver, he says that he isn't and that she is going to face trial. When Nina points out that the trials never end in the favor of the Grisha, he runs out of defenses and doesn't reply. She then notices the bola hanging from his coat and realizes that he is also one of her kidnappers. Nina then taunts him by saying she was “under the impression that the drüskelle respected their women” to which Matthias replies that Grisha are not women.[1]
While his comrades are distracted, Matthias brings Nina food to eat. When she accuses him of trying to poison her, he takes a bite to ease her suspicions. Maybe not poison, Nina admits, but she suspects that Matthias at least wants something in return. He admits that he needed answers, asking if her parents are also Grisha and if she was born Grisha or became one by choice. It becomes clear to Nina that Matthias and the drüskelle know very little in the ways of the Grisha. All he knows for certain is that they're enemies and that Heartrenders such as herself use magic to stop hearts. Nina explains that Heartrenders can also soothe tempers and calm those in pain. Matthias then asks Nina about the Darkling, but she would rather starve than be a traitor. Still, Matthias offers her a bite of food. Nina reluctantly takes a bite only to spit it in Matthias's face.[2]
Shipwrecked with Matthias[]
The ship headed for Fjerda with Grisha captives is shipwrecked. Nina manages to escape her shackles and find refuge on a sheet of deck wood along with an unconscious Matthias. She uses her abilities to save his life, which he is not grateful for. He pushes her away and falls into the water, accusing Nina of being a trickster. He questions why she saved him. Admittedly, they need each other: Matthias' strength to swim to shore and Nina's Grisha powers to keep the two of them warm.
Nina and Matthias wash up on shore and search for shelter, though they are unsure exactly where they have landed. They arrive at a lodge in a deserted whaling camp, where Nina proceeds to undress from her cold and wet clothes to keep warm. She offers to help keep him warm but only if he undresses as well. Eventually Matthias relents and lays down next to Nina, who tells Matthias he’s cold and clammy like a squid. She places her hand over his chest and warms his body before resting. "You're welcome, you big idiot," she tells him in his native tongue.
Matthias awakens next to Nina and jumps to his feet, claiming that he can't wait to be back in his own bed, but Nina would beg to differ. He questions why she speaks in such a lewd manner, especially in comparison to Fjerdan women who are typically modest and pious. He proceeds to insult her and paint her a misogynistic, offensive picture of how women should behave while also detailing how women are weak creatures who can’t and shouldn’t fight, describing it as “not natural”. Nina then responds "it's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall and yet, oh, there you stand."
Nina and Matthias travel on foot through the cold. Matthias insists that they're not lost and that drüskelle are trained to overcome any situation. She tells him to relax, but Matthias pulls away. She questions why that is, suggesting that he's afraid that he might begin to like her. He's scared that if he likes a Grisha that he might start to think of them as human beings. Matthias then admits that he does in fact like Nina, despite the fact that she's horrible, loud, and lewd. Jarl Brum always warned them how charming witches could be. Matthias wonders if this could be yet another one of Nina's tricks. Nina amusingly refers to herself as the wicked Grisha seductress who beguiles innocent men with her Grisha wiles. She then begins to tickle Matthias, a smile forming on his face followed by laughter. Suddenly, the ice gives away and Nina nearly falls into a seemingly bottomless pit. Matthias saves her, though only after a great amount of internal struggle where he considered letting her fall to her death. The two then exchange names rather than referring to one another as "witch" and "drüskelle."[3]
Sending Matthias to Hellgate[]
Nina and Matthias arrive in the town of Arkesk. Matthias intends to go north in the night, but Nina doesn't wish to separate. She proposes they find somewhere where they can be together, somewhere where they're not simply labeled as "Grisha" and "drüskelle." Should he leave, he could never go back to Fjerda, as he would be court-martialed as a deserter. And Nina would be branded a traitor to Grisha. Matthias has only known two countries his entire life: his and Nina's. He asks what the others are like. She mentions Kerch and the Wandering Isle. Just as they're about to kiss, Matthias' stomachs growls.
Nina and Matthias go downstairs for waffles, during which Nina overhears a Kerch man saying that he hunts slavers. As long as a captive will testify in court, there's big money in capturing slavers. Suddenly, Matthias falls unconscious and Fedyor emerges to save Nina, but she reveals that she's with Matthias now. She claims that he's changed, but Fedyor isn't convinced. He gives Nina one last chance to salvage her reputation by bringing Matthias back to the Little Palace and handing him over to be put on trial. Instead, Nina accuses Matthias of being a slaver and a Kerch bounty hunter asks if she's willing to testify in court, which she agrees to. She pleads with the man to take her with him to Ketterdam. This leads to a dispute between the Grisha and the bounty hunters. The bounty hunter reminds Fedyor that they're already at war with Fjerda and that it wouldn't be a good idea to start a war with the Kerch as well. Fedyor relents, and Nina leaves with Matthias and the Kerch bounty hunter.
Nina visits Matthias, who has been placed in a cell below the deck of the Kerch bounty hunter's ship. She brings him food and water, but Matthias feels as if he's been betrayed and tries to kill her through the bars. She forcibly slows his heart, which forces him to release her, and she apologizes for accusing him of being a slaver. She explains that she was trying to prevent him from being taken back to Ravka, where he would have been killed. Nina thought that if she claimed Matthias to be a slaver with the bounty hunters nearby, they could stop Feydor and the others from completing their rescue mission and arresting Matthias, which means that Matthias could face a trial with only Nina to testify. She says she intends to drop the charges when the case goes to court. Another prisoner laughs and informs Nina that the trial won't be for at least a year or two. In the meantime, he'll be sent to Hellgate. Nina begs Matthias to trust her, but he refuses.
Nina heads back up top, where she overhears the Crows discussing how they're in need of a Heartrender who is desperate for work and with loyalties only to them. Nina then overhears another man say that the Sun Saint is dead and asks if it's true. Kaz replies that he doesn't know if she's dead, but he does know that she's a Saint.[4]
Working with the Crows[]
Nina has followed the Crows to Ketterdam, where she saves Inej from a small group of armed enforcers. While they were aboard the ship, she overheard Kaz mention his need for a Heartrender, and in exchange for her services, she's hoping that they can help her free Matthias from Hellgate. Whilst Kaz can't free Matthias, he can get Nina visitation.[5]
The following day, Nina convenes with the Crows at a diner, where Kaz reveals his plans to further pursue his take-down of Pekka Rollins by tracking his private schedule and breaking into his accountant's office, which Nina discovers the exact location of by posing as a delivery girl. That night, the Crows enact their plan, with Nina taking out the guard in front of the office building before heading inside, where she discovers that Kaz has walked into a trap. She takes out Pekka's armed guards, as well as Pekka himself. However, she is shot in the arm in the process of escaping along with Kaz.[6]
Nina learns that all the Hellgate guards who work the fights are on Pekka's payroll. All except for one. A guard named Hiemstra. Kaz instructs Nina to find him in order to reach out to Matthias. He also informs Nina that her actions tonight have marked her as a Crow and advises her to keep a low profile. However, Pekka is also in attendance for the Hellshow fight and spots Nina in the crowd as she tries to make contact with Matthias. Pekka has no intentions of hurting Nina. In fact, he wants to strike a deal. He instructs her to bring him Kaz, or else Matthias' next fight will be to the death.[7]
The Crows devise a plan to hit all of Pekka's businesses with a compound meant to mimic firepox in an effort to destroy Pekka's reputation and profit. Meanwhile, Nina informs Kaz of Pekka's attempt to coerce her into turning Kaz over. Instead, the two of them orchestrate a trap for Pekka, pretending as if Nina did in fact turn on Kaz, but only to get him close enough to Pekka to reveal the firepox epidemic, as well as the fact that Kaz allegedly buried Pekka's son. In order to learn his location, Kaz forces Pekka to sign a quitclaim deed for Inej and a confession for the murders of Tante Heleen and Constable Sem.[8]
Retrieving the Neshyenyer[]
The Crows are enlisted by Prince Nikolai to retrieve the Neshyenyer blade and deliver it to Alina in East Ravka. Do so successfully, and the Prince will pay whatever fee, including Matthias' release from Hellgate. And so, Nina and Kaz pose as collectors and a married couple in search of the Neshyenyer. They meet with Ohval Saran, the fence to The Disciple, a retired thief who is believed to be in possession of the blade. However, Ohval isn't convinced by their charade and claims to know nothing of the blade before fleeing. Fortunately, Inej discovers the location of her home. So while Nina and Zoya tail Ohval and discuss Nina's doomed relationship with Matthias, the Crows and Tolya break into her home in search of the blade. However, Ohval discovers that she's being followed and chokes Nina unconscious. [9]
Nina is recovered by Zoya, and the two of them make their way back to Ohval's home, where they assist the Crows in fighting Ohval, who is clearly superior in strength and power. Luckily, Kaz manages to find her husband, The Disciple, who reveals that Ohval made the Neshyenyer and that she's Sankta Neyar. From her, they retrieve the blade and head to East Ravka.[10]
Matthias' pardon[]
Nina and Zoya arrive in East Ravka, where they discover the Fort has been consumed by the Fold. They board one of Sturmhond's flying ships and fly Inej, Alina, and Mal to the center of the Fold, where Alina uses her three amplifiers to destroy the Fold. Meanwhile, Nina is attacked by a nichevo'ya and left unconscious.[11] When Nina finally awakens, the Fold has been destroyed and Mal is dead. Alina pleads with her to save him, but when she fails to do so, Alina uses merzost to bring him back. Nina returns to Ketterdam from East Ravka with a pardon for Matthias from Hellgate, but Hiemstra reveals that the fight can't be stopped, forcing Nina to watch as Matthias fights off guards after refusing to kill the wolves placed in the chamber.[12]
Personality and traits[]
Nina is loud and extremely lewd, especially in comparison to Fjerdan woman, according to Matthias. The manner in which she speaks to him is often sexual in nature. Despite Matthias being a drüskelle "witch" hunter, she begins to overlook these qualities in him and saved him from being executed by the Darkling by accusing him of being a slaver.
Physical description[]
Nina has brown hair and pale blue eyes, with a face full of freckles.
Powers and abilities[]
Grisha powers[]
Nina is an accomplished Heartrender and was nearly able to defeat four drüskelle after being ambushed by them, and was only beaten after a fifth unseen drüskelle managed to bind her hands, cutting off her powers.
Nina is able to convince an innkeeper in delaying paying off her tab with her powers.
Espionage[]
Nina is a skilled spy and disguises herself as Kaelish when on missions outside of Ravka.
Multilingualism[]
Nina can speak 6 languages and is proficient enough in Fjerdan to pass off as a native speaker.
Relationships[]
Matthias Helvar[]
Nina and Matthias started out as enemies, with him and the drüskelle kidnapping her in a boarding house in Novokribirsk and placing her on a ship headed for Fjerda to face a fraudulent trial. However, as the ship sank, the two were forced to put aside their differences in order to survive. In that time of traveling together, they grew close and the antagonistic nature of their relationship eased. Eventually, Matthias even confesses to Nina that he does like her, but he feels like he shouldn't. They act playful and teasing around each other on several occasions, and once almost kissed. Nina tells Fedyor Matthias has changed, as Fedyor had noted that her heart was pounding and had asked if it was for Matthias.
However, the relationship eventually returns to being contentious and violent on Matthias's side.
Appearances[]
Season 1[]
Season 2[]
- No Shelter but Me
- Rusalye
- Like Calls to Like
- Every Monstrous Thing
- Yuyeh Sesh (Despise Your Heart)
- Ni Weh Sesh (I Have No Heart)
- Meet You in the Meadow
- No Funerals
Gallery[]
- See more here
Behind the scenes[]
Danielle Galligan uses her native Irish accent when Nina acts undercover as someone from the Wandering Isle.[13]
References[]
- ↑ Season 1, Episode 3: The Making at the Heart of the World
- ↑ Season 1, Episode 4: Otkazat'sya
- ↑ Season 1, Episode 6: The Heart is an Arrow
- ↑ Season 1, Episode 8: No Mourners
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 1: No Shelter but Me
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 2: Rusalye
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 3: Like Calls to Like
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 4: Every Monstrous Thing
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 5: Yuyeh Sesh (Despise Your Heart)
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 6: Ni Weh Sesh (I Have No Heart)
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 7: Meet You in the Meadow
- ↑ Season 2, Episode 8: No Funerals
- ↑ Irish Examiner - From Game Of Thrones to Shadow And Bone: Irish star Danielle Galligan on Netflix's new series