I love Bohun's character, feel sorry for him at the end of the book, and at the same time notice that he is actually a redflag and I would be scared of him as well if I was Helena.
Bohun is an antagonist and he had to be as the Trilogy was written as a way to uplift Polish people during partitions of Poland, making all the Polish characters the heroes and non-Polish characters the villains. And here is the difference between him and Kmicic as Andrzej was a Polish-Lithuanian noble, so he represented the group that was supposed to win (that's why he changed later in the book, got a happy end, and overally was written in a way that people generally like him). Whereas Bohun was a Cossack and had to be the antagonist and overally be portrayed as a negative character for people to hate him. While they basically started as characters doing similar actions (murdering people and kidnapping women they loved).
Bohun did many terrifying things like murdering the Kurcewicz family and kidnapping Helena with telling her that if she wasn't wounded he would force her to marry him today. But something interesting about him is that he is not that "black or white" character and has a positive side to him as well (which was more visible in the book than the movie). In the book, Bohun's attitude towards Helena is sometimes really beautiful, there are moments where its even more touching than Skrzetuski's. I would risk saying that if we compared Bohun's and Skrzetuski's priority lists, Bohun would have Helena higher. And much of that aspect of Bohun was not shown in the movie. While watching the movie adaptation it's easy to take Bohun as just a murderer and kidnapper, wish the best for Skrzetuski and Helena and overally ship them. In the book it's like (at least for me it was like that) you see Helena is the happiest with Skrzetuski and totally understand her and wish the best for her and Jan and are happy for those two but you feel so sad for Bohun seeing how much he cared for her and how important she was for him. Maybe that's why the last look of Bohun in the movie doesn't touch that much as that last paragraph about him in the book. Much of Bohun (like some of his lines and overally his thoughts as the movie can't really portray that) was not shown in the movie and I don't know if I would like this character so much if I didn't read the book.
Bohun's attitude towards Helena aspects in the book that I consider really beautiful:
Bohun considered joining prince Wiśniowiecki's side during the Chmielnicki's uprising because he thought it would be more appropriate towards Helena and her family. He was ready to betray his own people in order to "earn" the right to marry the woman he loved. This shows his priorities very well, contrasting with Skrzetuski's, who put honour and serving the country above anything else, even above his future wife's life. He would never join Chmielnicki's side for her (which would be his equivalent for Bohun's actions).
However, he didn't value the social status he might have been given for fighting among prince Wiśniowiecki during war, he wanted to do that only for Helena. According to Zagłoba, Bohun could become a noble for joining prince's side and fighting against Cossacks. He didn't care about that though. Bohun admitted himself that he wouldn't expect any recompensation for it, he just wanted Helena and that would be enough for him.
Bohun also wanted to be adopted by Zagłoba and by that become a part of Polish nobility, just to be able to marry Helena. He was ready to leave Cossacks (his people with whom he grew up) just for her.
Bohun went looking for Helena even while being wounded. In the scene after Helena escaped with Zagłoba from Rozłogi, Bohun was still in a state that didn't even allow him to sit on the horse and still, he went looking for her while bleeding on the way. Again, contrast to Skrzetuski, who was not even able to go look for her while being completely fine, because he prioritized serving prince Wiśniowiecki and the country (he finally starts looking for Helena at the end of the book which was like a year after he found burned Rozłogi).
Bohun's only one love was Helena, even after she married Skrzetuski and everything was over anyway. Bohun tells Helena in the book that he was never interested in any women before her. Asked by Zagłoba if Helena is the only one girl in the world (Zagłoba trying to suggest him to just leave it like that once they found out about Skrzetuski's letter to Helena), Bohun admitted that she indeed is the only one in the world (for him she was). After the events of the book Bohun chose to rebuilt Rozłogi and spend the rest of his life in the place that reminded him of her and the happier times of his life when she didn't hate him. He never married anyone else. Again, contrast to Skrzetuski, who actually had a crush on Anusia (a character not even shown in the movie) before, but then he saw Helena and changed his mind.
Bohun panicked just at the thought of Helena dying. After the incident at the Bar when he went to save her and then take her to a safe place (for both her safety during war and hiding her from Skrzetuski, it was kidnapping after all not just wanting to keep her safe), when Helena tried to kill herself with a knife, Bohun became so scared she will try to do it again that he changed his behaviour staying away from her in the room or waiting for her consent just to kiss her hand while leaving (and immediately moving away when she looked at him). He was trying to fight his impulsive nature (losing with that once tbh when he said that if she wasn't wounded he would force her to marry him today, but then again he got scared when she lost consciousness and called Horpyna like crazy, to save her, scared he had killed her) in order to keep her safe from killing herself. He even admitted to Horpyna he would prefer Helena to stab him with a knife than herself. It's something you wouldn't really expect from a character who is overally a kidnapper and murderer.
Bohun even considered risking Helena ending up with Skrzetuski just to make sure she will be safe. In the scene when Zagłoba and Wołodyjowski find him in the tavern and they plan the duel, they ask Bohun to tell them where Helena is hidden so in case he gets killed in the duel they can go there and transport her to Skrzetuski. Bohun actually considered that for a moment before he came up with a different idea. It portrays his priorities a lot, showing that Helena's safety was the most important thing for him, even more important than him marrying her at the end. It's something surprising, considering his overally possessive nature that led him to kidnapping Helena and keeping her away from Skrzetuski.
Bohun had moments of agony, crying and wishing he could be Helena's servant just to be able to look at her. In the scene when Rzędzian finds Skrzetuski after he "became friends" with Bohun (actually becoming a double agent), he describes Bohun's behaviour including crying, talking to himself, apologizing to Helena about killing her family, wondering where she is, saying he can't live without her, and wishing he could be her servant just to be able to look at her. Even Rzędzian admitted then that Bohun has to love Helena based on his behaviour. Sometimes I wonder if Bohun actually didn't like his impulsive nature and wished he could be different for Helena, based on him regretting killing Kurcewicz family in this scene and trying to behave calmly in Czortowy Jar as I described before.
Bohun asked Horpyna in Czortowy Jar if Helena would miss him once he leaves for war. Like she hated him, didn't want to see him at all, and he still wondered if she might need him there. He still worried about her despite being rejected so many times.
Actually the whole first chapter of volume two. When Bohun with Horpyna bring Helena to Czortowy Jar. How Bohun was reminding his Cossacks all the time to be careful with the thing where Helena was carried, worrying about her. How he got mad at Horpyna after she suggested giving Helena herbs that would make her sleep for two days (allowing Bohun to do whatever he wanted to her). How he explained he would give his soul and his fame among Cossacks for her, to be able to live and die by her side, not being able to bear the thought he was the reason why she wanted to stab herself.
And I wonder how Bohun's and Helena's relationship was before as well. In the scene after the dinner at Rozłogi when Skrzetuski and Podbipięta are getting ready to sleep and talking with Kurcewicz family's servant, they find out Helena has been hating Bohun since he killed a man in front of her. It means that before she didn't hate him and I wonder what exactly it was like. There is also a moment just before Bohun leaves Czortowy Jar, where he thinks about the past and remembers evenings spent at Rozłogi, how he was describing his trips with Cossacks and how Helena was listening to him interested and excited. I wish we got more about their past.
And I also wonder what would their relationship be like if Bohun never killed anyone in front of Helena and if she never got scared of him.
Bohun's story is overally tragic, considering how he lost what was the most important for him in his life while being a very emotional person, even though it is completely understandable why Helena didn't want him. I consider that last paragraph about Bohun in the book heartbreaking as well, keeping in mind how much he cared, and also how it is the last final proof how important Helena was for him.
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