payment page
Nikolai, also known by his nickname Sturmhond, is characterized by his mutability, yet he remains dogged in pursuit of his goal to protect the people of Ravka. Alina first encounters him as a menacing pirate who sells out his client, the Darkling, after receiving a better offer. She is incensed to learn that he himself is the higher bidder and that the offer is a sham marriage proposal. His behavior marks him as ruthless, scheming, and duplicitous. But even early on, Alina detects some cracks in Nikolai’s façade. And in their position of shared command, Nikolai’s true self begins to emerge. He has some insecurities stemming from questions about his legitimacy and the fears he has about his own quest for power. These make him more vulnerable than Alina had formerly supposed, and they cast his earlier behavior in a more favorable light. In Nikolai, Alina comes to see not a greedy pirate but a prince preparing to lead his people into battle, and she understands that his seemingly selfish marriage proposal disguises his warm and caring heart.
