Characters in The Assassin and the Empire

Celaena Sardothien

The novella ends with Celaena utterly broken — her love dead, her freedom stolen, and her trust in Arobynn destroyed; this is the psychological and physical state she is in when Throne of Glass begins a year later.

Also in The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, The Assassin and the Healer, The Assassin and the Desert, The Assassin and the Underworld, Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Kingdom of Ash

Arobynn Ahamar

His deliberate betrayal of both Celaena and Sam — selling them to Farran to punish their defiance — is confirmed here; his motives blend jealousy, possessiveness, and calculated cruelty.

Also in The Assassin and the Underworld, The Assassin's Blade

Rourke Farran

A Rifthold crime lord and Arobynn's enemy who captures and tortures Sam; he is the instrument of the betrayal, though Arobynn's complicity makes him the deeper villain.