Kestrel Winters (Nan) Character Analysis in Heartless Hunter

Overview: The Witch Who Chose to Die for Love

Kestrel Winters—known to Rune simply as “Nan”—is the emotional and moral center of Heartless Hunter, even though she dies before the novel’s present action begins. A powerful witch, a wealthy matriarch, and Rune’s adoptive grandmother, Nan is executed by the Blood Guard after Rune reports her, a betrayal that haunts every chapter of the story. Her death is not just a tragic backstory; it is the engine that drives Rune’s double life as the Crimson Moth, her guilt, her search for Seraphine Oakes, and her eventual confrontation with the cost of survival. Nan appears only in memory and flashback, but her influence is so pervasive that she functions as a ghostly co-protagonist—a woman who chose to die so her granddaughter could live, and whose final request set Rune on a path of rebellion.

Plot Role: The Catalyst for Everything

Nan’s role in the plot is foundational. The novel opens with Rune, disguised as an old peddler, searching for Seraphine Oakes because “her grandmother’s request to find Seraphine, who would tell her everything” (Chapter 1). That request is Nan’s last gift to Rune—a mission that becomes the spine of the narrative. When Rune finds Seraphine, she discovers the witch has been captured by the Blood Guard, forcing Rune into a series of desperate moves that culminate in her exposure as the Crimson Moth.

Nan’s death also creates the central moral wound. Rune’s betrayal of her grandmother is the act she spends two years trying to atone for. As she tells Gideon in a rare moment of vulnerability, “Nan was my best friend. She was the person I most aspired to be like” (Chapter 33). That aspiration—and the guilt of having failed it—fuels Rune’s decision to become the Crimson Moth, a masked rescuer of witches. Without Nan’s execution, there would be no Crimson Moth, no search for Seraphine, and no final confrontation with the Blood Guard.

Nan’s spell books also play a direct plot role. In the climactic battle, when Alex is dying, Rune recalls “the Earth Sunderer spell from her grandmother’s spell books” and uses it to tear the earth apart, saving the witches (Chapter 63). This moment shows that Nan’s legacy is not just emotional but magical—her knowledge literally saves lives.

Motivations and Traits: A Woman of Steel and Love

Nan’s motivations are revealed through her actions, not her words. The text shows her as a woman who prioritizes Rune’s survival above all else, even her own life. When Rune brings her Alex’s warning that they are trapped, Nan does not panic or devise a new escape. Instead, she insists, “He’s right. You must report me immediately” (Chapter 4). She frames this as an act of love: “If you truly love me, you will spare me the agony of watching them kill you” (Chapter 4). This is a calculated, almost cruel form of love—she manipulates Rune’s devotion to force her to do the unthinkable. But it is also deeply selfless: Nan knows that if Rune refuses, both will die, and she chooses to be the sacrifice.

Her traits are consistent: stoic, pragmatic, and fiercely protective. At her execution, Rune remembers that Nan’s “gaze was hawkish as she looked out over the sea of faces, as if she didn’t notice the way they spit at her, didn’t hear the vicious names they called her” (Chapter 33). She does not weep or beg; she meets her death with the same dignity she wore in life. This stoicism is a deliberate choice—she wants Rune to see her as unbroken, to give Rune a model of courage.

Nan is also a woman of hidden depths. She kept a casting room behind a false wall in her bedroom, a space Rune later uses for her own magic (Chapter 10). She had a locket with a portrait of Seraphine, her childhood best friend, which she rarely took off (Chapter 39). These details suggest a woman who carried secrets and loyalties even as she played the role of a wealthy society matriarch. Her decision to ask Rune to find Seraphine—a woman she had not seen in decades—shows that her love extended beyond her immediate family to her oldest friend.

Chronological Arc: From Matriarch to Martyr

Nan’s arc is told in fragments, but a clear timeline emerges. Before the revolution, she was a wealthy witch, a member of the old regime’s elite. She had ships, a grand house called Wintersea, and a garden labyrinth. She adopted Rune after Rune’s parents drowned, raising her as her own. She was over seventy when she died (Chapter 39).

When the Sister Queens were murdered and the Blood Guard seized power, Nan became a target. The regime seized her ships, and she knew it was only a matter of time before witch hunters came for her. She devised an escape plan: a fishing boat would smuggle her and Rune off the island at midnight. But the plan was betrayed—Alex’s message warned that soldiers were waiting in the cove and the roads were closed. Trapped, Nan made the decision to sacrifice herself. She told Rune to report her, and Rune did, leading the Blood Guard to Wintersea House.

Nan’s execution is described in harrowing detail in Rune’s memory. She was dragged to the purging platform, her sleeves ripped to expose her casting scars. She was hanged upside down, and her throat was cut. Her last words, whispered to Rune in the crowd, were “I love you” (Chapter 33, Chapter 59). After her death, her body was thrown into a mass grave, and Rune could not bury her beneath the apple tree in the garden—a detail that underscores the suppression of grief under the Republic.

Posthumously, Nan’s arc continues through Rune’s actions. Rune spends two years searching for Seraphine, fulfilling Nan’s request. She uses Nan’s casting room and spell books. She carries Nan’s locket? Actually, we don’t know if Rune has the locket; we only know Nan wore it. But Rune remembers it. The locket becomes a symbol of Nan’s hidden past and her connection to Seraphine.

Relationships: The Bonds That Define Her

With Rune: Nan’s relationship with Rune is the emotional core of the novel. She is not Rune’s biological grandmother, but she is the only family Rune has ever known. Rune describes her as “the person I most aspired to be like” (Chapter 33). Nan taught Rune to look her best, to be clever and brave, and to hide her true self. Their bond is so strong that Rune’s betrayal feels like “carving out her own heart” (Chapter 4). Nan’s final act—telling Rune to report her—is a twisted gift: she gives Rune a way to survive, but at the cost of Rune’s innocence. The guilt Rune carries is a direct result of this relationship.

With Seraphine: Nan and Seraphine were best friends since childhood, as revealed by the locket (Chapter 39). Seraphine was exiled by the witch queen, and Nan never spoke of it because it distressed her (Chapter 27). Their friendship is a secret history that Nan kept hidden, even from Rune. Nan’s request that Rune find Seraphine suggests she wanted to reconnect with her friend, or at least ensure Seraphine’s safety. This relationship adds depth to Nan’s character—she was loyal to her friends even when the world turned against them.

With the Blood Guard: Nan is an enemy of the Republic, but she faces them with defiance. She does not beg or weep; she meets her execution with a stoic glare. This defiance is a form of resistance—she refuses to give them the satisfaction of seeing her break.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Decision: To tell Rune to report her. This is Nan’s most consequential choice. By insisting Rune turn her in, Nan saves Rune’s life but condemns herself. The consequence is Rune’s profound guilt, which drives her to become the Crimson Moth. It also forces Rune to adopt a false identity as a loyal citizen, a lie that becomes increasingly unsustainable.

Decision: To ask Rune to find Seraphine. This request gives Rune a purpose after Nan’s death. It leads Rune to Seraphine, who becomes a mentor and ally. It also connects Rune to the larger witch resistance. Without this request, Rune might have remained a passive survivor rather than an active rebel.

Decision: To use her last words to say “I love you.” This is a deliberate act of forgiveness. Nan knows Rune is watching, and she chooses to absolve Rune of guilt, even as she dies. The consequence is that Rune carries this memory as a source of both pain and strength. In the end, it allows Rune to forgive herself, as she realizes “the thing she’d needed all this time was right there inside her” (Chapter 59).

Decision: To leave her spell books and casting room. Nan’s magical legacy becomes Rune’s toolkit. Rune uses the Earth Sunderer spell to save the witches, a direct consequence of Nan’s decision to preserve her knowledge. This shows that Nan’s influence extends beyond her death—she is a silent partner in Rune’s rebellion.

Theme/Symbol Connections

Nan is a living symbol of the moral cost of survival. Her death is the price Rune pays to live, and Rune’s guilt is the tax she pays afterward. Nan’s choice to die for Rune also embodies duty versus personal desire: her duty as a grandmother overrides her desire to live.

Nan’s casting scars—exposed at her execution—connect to identity concealment and the double life. In the old regime, scars were marks of pride; under the Republic, they are death sentences. Nan’s scars are a visible truth that she cannot hide, unlike Rune, who hides her magic by never cutting herself. Nan’s death teaches Rune the importance of concealment, which becomes the foundation of her double life as the Crimson Moth.

The locket with Seraphine’s portrait symbolizes hidden loyalties and the cost of friendship. It also ties to deception in courtship, as Nan’s secret friendship with a banished witch mirrors Rune’s secret identity.

Finally, Nan’s death is a source of trauma and its lasting marks. Rune’s PTSD is evident in her nightmares, her inability to love, and her obsessive need to atone. Nan’s last words—“I love you”—become a balm that Rune only fully accepts at the end, allowing her to heal.

Questions and Answers

1. Why did Nan tell Rune to report her?

Nan told Rune to report her because she knew that if Rune refused, both would be executed. She framed it as an act of love, saying, “If you truly love me, you will spare me the agony of watching them kill you” (Chapter 4). She chose to die so Rune could live.

2. What was Nan’s relationship with Seraphine Oakes?

Nan and Seraphine were best friends since childhood, as shown by the locket Nan wore with both their portraits (Chapter 39). Seraphine was exiled by the witch queen, and Nan never spoke of it because it distressed her (Chapter 27). Nan’s last request to Rune was to find Seraphine, indicating she wanted to reconnect or ensure her friend’s safety.

3. How did Nan’s death affect Rune’s actions?

Nan’s death drove Rune to become the Crimson Moth, a masked rescuer of witches. It also motivated her two-year search for Seraphine, fulfilling Nan’s request. Rune’s guilt over betraying Nan is the emotional engine of the novel, pushing her to risk her life to save others.

4. What did Nan’s casting room contain, and why was it important?

Nan’s casting room was hidden behind a false wall in her bedroom (Chapter 10). It contained spell books, including the Earth Sunderer spell that Rune uses in the climax (Chapter 63). The room becomes Rune’s secret space for practicing magic, symbolizing Nan’s legacy and the hidden world of witches.

5. What were Nan’s last words to Rune, and what did they mean?

Nan’s last words, whispered as she was about to be executed, were “I love you” (Chapter 33, Chapter 59). They were a gift of forgiveness, absolving Rune of guilt. Rune carries these words with her, and they ultimately allow her to forgive herself, as she realizes she had been holding onto shame that Nan had already released.

For a deeper look at how Nan’s death shapes the ending, see the ending explained page, or explore the themes that her story illuminates.