Julianna

## Personality and traits

"*But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.*"— Inej, *Crooked Kingdom*Inej is mostly known for her reserved nature. She is mentally incredibly strong, and goes for her own aspirations without hesitation. She is quiet and morally unwavering, unafraid to speak her opinion when she feels it is needed. She is skeptical of most people but is not outwardly harsh, and willing to offer her friendship to those who have proven themselves to be good people. Inej is religiously traditional, often reciting Suli proverbs as advice and general commentary. She feels more secure with knives in her possession, preferably her own, and takes comfort in the strength of her title, "the Wraith".

## Physical description

Inej is Suli and as such, has brown skin and dark brown, almost black, eyes. She has long, black hair which she usually keeps tightly bound in a braided coil. She wears breeches, a hooded tunic, and quilted vests in dark colors. Inej is lithe and muscular but is shorter than most of her companions. According to Leigh Bardugo, Inej's height is 5′3″ - 5′4″.

## Skills and abilities

"*She was the Wraith – the only law that applied to her was gravity, and some days she defied that, too.*"— Inej, *Six of Crows*Because of her background as an acrobat, Inej has excellent climbing skills, agility, and body coordination. She also has a gift for stealth, never making any sound as she moves. She is deadly with her knives and can kill and incapacitate as needed.

## Equipment

Inej had custom Fabrikator-made leather slippers with coarse rubber soles, perfectly fitted to her feet and capable of gripping any surface. However, her slippers melted in the incinerator at the Ice Court. While working for the Dregs, she carries brass knuckles in a pocket on her right hip, climbing spikes, and pads on her knees for crawling and climbing. The pads also hide blades that are activated by a trigger on her ankles.

Inej has many knives, all of which are named after Saints. The ones hidden in her forearms have quick releases: Sankt Petyr on her right hand, her first knife given to her by Kaz, and Sankta Alina, a knife with a bone handle. Sankta Marya and Sankta Anastasia are on her thighs, Sankt Vladimir in one of her boots, and Sankta Lizabeta (with a rose-engraved handle) on her belt.

When Inej leaves Ketterdam, Kaz gives her a warship named *The Wraith*, which she uses to hunt slavers.
Inej's astrological sign is Cancer.
According to Leigh Bardugo, Inej is a Gryffindor.

## Relationships

### Kaz Brekker

"*For all his selfishness and cruelty, Kaz was still the boy who had saved her. She wanted to believe he was worth saving, too.*"— Inej, *Six of Crows*Inej and Kaz form an extremely close relationship over the two years she works for the Dregs. Kaz comes to trust her more than anyone else and relies on her and her abilities. Despite Kaz's rough personality and brutal reputation, Inej believes Kaz has a good heart deep down and continually points out kind actions he has taken that aren't exclusively rooted in profit. When Kaz is threatened, Inej fears for him and becomes violently protective; the reverse is true as well.

Although Inej reciprocates Kaz's romantic feelings toward her, she continues to put her life goals above her relationship with him. Kaz also continually denies his feelings for Inej and claims his interest in her is merely economic. When Kaz asks Inej to stay in Ketterdam with him, she is conflicted as Kaz keeps his walls up and she will not “settle for so little.” She tells him he needs to be a better person and open himself to her before they can pursue a relationship. Inej regrets that Kaz chose his armor over her, but admits that it might be for the best, since she is unsure if she could handle a physical relationship either after her experiences at the Menagerie.

Kaz eventually begins to show that he cares about Inej as more than an investment. When Inej inquires whether he would still care about her if she were no longer useful as a spy, he surprises her by telling her he would. Kaz further shows his love for her by liquidating his assets to buy out her indenture, for which she is deeply grateful. They share a charged moment in the Geldrenner Hotel; Kaz attempts to kiss her, but his haphephobia rears its head and they break apart.

After the auction of Kuwei Yul-Bo, Inej prepares to leave Ketterdam and laments that she will never have a romantic relationship with Kaz. However, Kaz gifts her with a warship so that she can fulfill her dream of hunting slavers and his only request in exchange is that she will return to Ketterdam (and him); Inej agrees that she is not done with the city (and Kaz) yet. Inej holds her hand at her side to see if Kaz will make the effort to touch her without gloves; he does, and they hold hands for the first time. The ending leaves open the possibility of a romantic future between the two of them.

Nikolai Lantsov convinces Kaz to help him steal titanium from the Kerch military by promising him information on the *izmars'ya*. Despite initially denying that he knows the Wraith, Kaz quickly agrees because the *izmars'ya* pose a grave threat to Inej.
Biography
Inej grew up traveling around Ravka in Suli caravans and performing acrobatics with her family. She learned to walk the high wire barefoot as a young child with her father and cousins, and she only fell once. Inej was more comfortable on the high wire than even other members of her family and loved the freedom of walking in the air.
When she was fourteen, Inej was with her family on the west coast near Os Kervo performing in a summer carnival. She was awakened from a nap and captured by slavers early one morning and subsequently sold to Tante Heleen, the owner of a pleasure house in Ketterdam, where she was forced to work in the Menagerie as an indenture.
When Inej first met Kaz Brekker, she overheard him asking Heleen for information about the brothel's clients. Inej later approached Kaz and offered to help him but he did not respond and walked away. Kaz returned the next night to buy her contract from Heleen and gave Inej the choice to join the Dregs. Inej joined the Dregs just days after her fifteenth birthday. Over time, Kaz gave Inej her first knife, taught her to crack safes and pick pockets, and named her the Wraith.
When Nina Zenik arrived in Ketterdam, Inej climbed to Nina's room at the Emerald Palace in the middle of the night and offered her membership in the Dregs. Inej earned Nina's trust, being just a few months younger than Nina and also from Ravka, and convinced Nina to join the Dregs.
Appearance
She is tall and slender, lovely, and graceful with sleek midnight hair. She has a graceful neck, porcelain skin. Her hands are soft, with clean and manicured nails, and long fingers. She is taller than Mellony. She is spectacularly beautiful. Her black hair is usually pulled back into a low twist. She has high cheekbones and narrow, smoky eyes.
Personality
She always seems to say the right thing and is well-spoken. She is her father's daughter and is always gracious. She is usually surrounded by a crowd of friends, as everyone loves her. She is sometimes frustrated in council meetings, and is of the mind that they need new ideas. She has a clever, quick wit, and tended to be outspoken. When attending council meetings, she asked a lot of questions and offered her opinions freely. She is smart and capable, but not as fierce as Lyss and does not have the backbone or the heart that Lyss has. She never wanted to be queen, instead enjoying her job of diplomacy, collecting information, analyzing it, and solving problems.
Relationships
Finn Mander
Finn and Julianna were betrothed. The two would walk hand in hand and were not afraid to publicly kiss many times and embrace each other. Finn is smitten with her, the two seeming to be in a honeymoon phase, radiating happiness. The two are often described as a perfect match. Julianna loved Finn, but after he was wounded, she would look at him sometimes and see someone else.
Mellony ana'Marianna
The two appeared very close and got along, as if they shared everything. Every once in a while, something would raise a question, but Julianna would let it go, finding ways to ignore a truth that would destroy her. When she found out about her mother's betrayal, she was ashamed she did not know. Mellony began to believe that Julianna would be a much better queen than Alyssa. Once her daughter was born, Mellony kept trying to reclaim the crown she had lost through her, always comparing her to Alyssa. Julianna believed her mother had finally accepted that she was happy in the role of diplomat and director of intelligence. After the revelation of her mother and husband's death, she was filled with rage, grief, and betrayal, which she was forced to keep contained inside.
Alyssa ana'Raisa
Julianna wished she could speak her mind as Lyss does. The two were not close, despite all of Lyss's efforts, and Lyss was blindsided with the news of her betrothal to Finn. She seems to really care about Lyss's opinion. Julianna wanted Lyss to stand up with her and Finn at their wedding. Julianna considers her the closest thing she has to a sister, and admires her a lot. Lyss was sensitive when it came to her cousin due to her jealousy over what she lacked in political savvy. Julianna spent many years gently correcting Lyss in meetings. Lyss did not like to argue with her mother in front of her. Despite knowing her for most of her life, Lyss did not really know what Julianna wanted. Lyss misjudged her, mistaking her mother's ambition for her own.
Skills
She had become an expert in foreign relations, and assumed responsibility for the queendom's intelligence service. She has excellent social skills and diplomacy. She is good at making smart political moves and took to statecraft like a pig to mud. She seemed to be able to finish the queen's sentences without a hitch. Due to her mother's lack of interest in politics, it is often concluded that her interest and talent came from her father.
Posessions
She wears an engagement ring of emeralds and diamonds.