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Celaena Sardothien is the protagonist in the Queen of Glass fantasy series by S .J. Maas.

Appearance

Described as being of average height with long, wavy blonde hair and having the same Ashryver Eyes as many of her family Celaena Sardothien is beautiful in a most unusual way. She has high cheekbones and a 'wide' frame which give her appearance character and distinction when combined with her ivory skin. She is incredibly vain as a result of her striking appearance.

Life as Aelin Galathynius

Aelin Galathynius was born as the only child to Rhoe and Evaelien (nee Ashryver) Galathynius, who were nephew and niece to King Orlon of Trasien. She grew up a boisterous young girl; spoiled in an oddly endearing fashion. At the age of eight Aelin's parents were assassinated alongside King Orlon by Duke Perringtonn of Adarlan, and thus Aelin prematurely rose to the title of Queen of Trasien.

However, on the night of her parents murder Aelin should have been killed as well, yet she managed to survive by an unknowing twist of fate. The next night, her parents assassin returned to finish the job. Aelin fled her parents estate on the banks of the Florine river. With her assassin close behind she made for the footbridge which crossed the river and led to the neighbouring estate. Perringtonn had slashed the bridge prior to his return, anticipating Aelin's flight. Unaware, Aelin dashed towards it and plunged into the icy river below. The world would not encounter Aelin Galathynius alive again for fifteen years.

Adarlan's Assassin

The morning after her fall from the bridge Aelin Galathynius was found by the notorious Arobynn Hamel, King of the underground assassins guild. Upon realising who the girl was, and her new status, he took Aelin under his wing. For fifteen years Arobynn broke and remade her into the most feared assassin the world had ever known, stripping away all that was left of the Princess of Trasien and forging a new being; Celaena Sardothien.

Celaena Sardothien ruled the world of the assassins, becoming highly respected and reverently feared by all those in her sordid line of work. Her name was one which instilled fear in the hearts of all who heard it, and she soon surpassed even her mentor in skill and notoriety.

During her reign as Queen of the Assassins she became romantically involved with a fellow assassin, Symeth. Symeth was her age, also an orphan taken under the wing of Arobynn Hamel. The pair had been bitter rivals growing up, but their rivalry soon turned into something very different. Symeth fell in love with his colleague, and whilst Celaena didn't return the affection to such a degree, she was infinitely fond of her new conquest. Their relationship blossomed, despite the dark and dangerous world in which it existed, and the two began to consider the possibility of a future together; a future away from the sordid world of assassins.

Arobynn Hamel, seeing how his chief asset was slipping through his fingers, needed to take immediate action. Celaena Sardothien would never come back to her 'father' as long as Symeth existed in her world. Arobynn had Symeth assassinated to keep Celaena at heel, and so she remained on her throne.

The Salt Mines of Endovier

Life passed as well as it could for a grieving assassin and with each new job Celaena Sardothien grew wealthier and wealthier. The Queen of the Assassins maintained a luxury apartment in the slums of Adarlan's capital city, Renaril. She was paid huge amounts of money to kill off nobles, politicians and other esteemed figureheads and for years this was her life. However, it was on one particular assassination attempt that she was arrested and later tried before the High Court of Adarlan. Instead of an execution, which was inevitable, the King of Adarlan decided that a life of slavery and abuse in the Salt Mines of Endovier would be a much more fitting punishment for this most fearsome of criminals.

For three years she endured the daily whippings and suffocating darkness of the salt mines. She grew gaunt and sickly, a shadow of her former self. Her strong willed nature kept her from the suicide and death that so often occurred amongst the other slaves. Celaena partook in the weekly fights between the slaves, upon which bets were placed by the guards. She was favored by many of them because of her skill and strength over the other slaves. During her third year of slavery in the salt mines she was taken - upon suggestion of the Crown Prince of Adarlan, Dorian DeHavilliard - by the Captain of the Royal Guard Chaol Wydrael for training in a new scheme of the Kings.

In Queen of Glass

From Endovier Celaena travelled with the Crown Prince and the Capitain of the Guard to Renaril. It was here she would train for the next six months in preparation for what lay ahead. She would compete against nineteen other women in the hopes of being deemed most worthy to travel across the ocean to Wendlyn, gain access to the Palace and assassinate the King and Crown Prince. To ensure her cooperation in this ambitious plot the King offered Celaena her freedom, should she succeed.

Throughout her training she grew close to both Dorian DeHavilliard and Chaol Wydrael, reluctantly growing to love the former. In a bid to prove this wasn't the case, she slept with Chaol Wydrael. Eventually Celaena prevailed over all of the other women and was selected to go to Wendlyn. However, her affection for Chaol had not gone unnoticed and to ensure her dedication to her mission and her return to Adarlan, the King threatend to kill him should she not return successful within six months.

Unable to secure employment within the Palace, she found work at an estate only two miles from it, working for the Baroness Du Tremaine. It was here she befriended Leighanna, Luca, Stephaenya and Cindrillon, as well as encountered and grew close to the Fae. It was with them that she discovered her maternal Fae heritage and realized her magickal powers, and most importantly, her own true identity. She was the true heir to the throne of Trasien. She underwent rigorous training to hone and perfect her magick and combat skills. Despite chemistry between her and Price Raonn Whitehorn, nothing of significance ever transpired between them throughout her time in Wendlyn.

Quite by chance she encountered the Crown Price of Wendlyn, Galan Ashryver, and at first did not realise his identity. He was instantly attracted to her and it was during a second chance encounter at Beltaen that the two kissed. It wasn't until Galan's visit to the Baroness's estate that she realised his identity.

It was Galan's unwavering attraction to her that led to their final encounter before Celaena must complete her mission. She confronted him about his identity and he admitted his feelings for her, extending an invitation to a Royal Ball before he left. This was her opportunity to complete her mission, before fleeing Wendlyn across the ocean to Adarlan.

Before the Ball Celaena learned one vital fact that was detrimental to her success. Through her mother, she was the cousin of Galan Ashryver and neice to the King of Wendlyn. Faced with the most difficult decision she had ever had to make Celaena knew she must kill her family to save the life of her dearest friend. While she attempted to complete her mission, she could not fulfill her orders and swiftly fled the ball.

After eventually making peace with the Royal family of Wendlyn her time was up and she knew she must return to Adarlan or Chaol would die.

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