Celaena Sardothien is the primary protagonist of Throne of Glass, and the majority of the novel is told from her perspective in close third-person narration. Celaena is defined by contradictions: an assassin yet a loyal friend, short-tempered yet compassionate, arrogant yet deeply wounded by her traumatic past. Maas portrays Celaena as a Lost Queen, a variation of the Chosen One narrative frequently used in High Fantasy novels, in which secret royal ancestry denotes a character’s destiny to defeat the forces of evil. Celaena’s character arc through the novel takes her on a journey of physical and spiritual recovery as she develops friendships and regains a measure of agency. It also brings her into contact with her royal heritage via her encounters with Queen Elena Galathynius, revealed as her distant ancestor.

At the beginning of the novel, Celaena decides to compete for Champion out of self-interest: She wants to regain her freedom, serve out her contract, then live the rest of her life rich. However, by the end of the novel, Celaena chooses to be Champion because it supports her relationships with others and gives her the ability to resist the King of Adarlan: Fighting in the contest has made “my freedom mean something” (350).