Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass, #6)

A daughter of a healer from Fenharrow, Erilea, Yrene Towers has “vibrant golden brown [eyes] that seemed lit from within” and hair “a heavy fall of rich browns amid flashes of dark gold, curling slightly at the ends that brushed her narrow waist” (57). Chaol describes her eyes as “like a long-burning flame on a winter’s night” (63). Maas first introduces Yrene in The Assassin’s Blade (2014), the prequel collection of short stories preceding the events of Throne of Glass.

Yrene meets Celaena/Aelin at the White Pig in Innish two years before the events of Tower of Dawn. At age 11, Yrene witnessed Adarlan soldiers burn her mother alive in their conquest of Fenharrow, Eyllwe, and Terrasen. Years later, Yrene traveled to the port of Innish, where she planned to purchase passage to the Southern Continent to train her magic healing abilities at the Torre Cesme. She took a job at the White Pig tavern to earn money for her journey, but she became trapped for over a year while her boss, Nolan, stole her tips and decreased her pay. One night, Yrene was robbed by mercenaries just as a mysterious woman passed through. The woman—whom Yrene still does not know was Celaena/Aelin—defeated the mercenaries, taught Yrene basic self-defense, and gave her the funds to travel to the Southern Continent along with a note that claimed the world needed more healers. Throughout the novel, Yrene clings to the note she keeps in her pocket in times of distress or uncertainty.

Aside from the precious note, Yrene regards only her mother’s ring with the same sentimentality. Yrene wears the ring on her finger, “that last shred of proof that her mother and mother’s mother and all the mothers before them had once lived and healed in peace. It was the first of only two objects Yrene would not sell—even before selling herself” (42). Both these items symbolize her duty as a healer and her dedication to the practice. Through honoring the ideals preached by both women, Yrene hopes to restore at least a fraction of peace and happiness to her broken world by helping those in need just as her mother and the mysterious stranger did for her.

Nesryn Faliq is a former Rifthold city guard and the newly appointed Captain of the Guard for Adarlan. The text describes her as having ebony eyes, shoulder-length black hair, and a “lovely, solemn face” (5). Nesryn is a small side character until Queen of Shadows, where she emerges as Chaol’s ex-girlfriend, with whom he’s found solace after the upheavals in his life. His estrangement from Aelin following their short-lived romance thrusts him back into the open arms of Nesryn, who still harbored feelings for him. Nesryn also provides him a sense of stability even as he grapples with self-hatred and shame after feeling his post as the Captain of the Guard and abandoning Dorian, who a Valg Prince subsequently possesses.

Tower of Dawn continues this trajectory. Chaol clings to Nesryn for stability as he takes his first steps toward healing. However, arriving in Antica forces Nesryn into character growth she couldn’t have anticipated. Upon arrival, she realizes there are two parts of her. As Captain of the Guard for Adarlan, she recognizes her vows to Dorian and Chaol. She has a part to play in the coming war and a duty to her people. Yet as a descendant of Antica’s people, she also recognizes the scent of “smoky paprika and crisp tang of ginger and beckoning sweetness of cumin as soon as she had cleared the docks and knew, deep in her bones, that she was home” (10). Despite her loyalty to Adarlan, the place she called home for so long, Nesryn feels more at home in Antica. As she explores these feelings and this new setting with Sartaq, she not only forms a stronger connection with the Southern Continent but also establishes a stronger romantic connection with Sartaq than Chaol.

The Khagan of the Southern Continent, Urus, is “one of the most powerful men in the world—a man who could alter the fate of their own continent in the war surely now breaking out across Adarlan and Terrasen” (5). The narrative describes him as no more than 60, with previously dark hair that has long since gone white. Scars pepper his body, reminders of the tough battle he fought for his throne in the final days of this mother’s life. Though he killed his brother for the throne, as many Khagans had done before him, it is well known that Urus offered his brother mercy. However, when his brother chose to attempt a killing blow instead, Urus was forced to kill him. Urus’s initial mercy, even when tradition dictates siblings must defeat each other to take the throne, shows his willingness to change and compassion for others. This aspect of his character gives hope to Nesryn and Chaol in obtaining his support and aid in the war-threatening Erilea.

Urus has six children: Arghun, Sartaq, Hasar, Kashin, Duva, and Tumelun. As the first-born and eldest son, Arghun carries himself with arrogance and is the politician amongst his siblings, “beloved by the merchants and power brokers of the continent” (17). He doesn’t trade in coin or finery but information. Deemed the Prince of Spies, Arghun possesses a honed scholar’s mind that makes him ideal for overseeing his father’s viziers. The second-eldest, Sartaq, is the commander of the rukhin (ruk riders) aerial cavalry. He possesses his ruk named Kadara. Sartaq has ebony eyes and darker brown skin than the others, likely due to his time in the skies flying in the sun.

Hasar, the third-born and eldest daughter, is a “young woman with hair like flowing night and eyes like dark fire” who controls the Khaganate’s armadas (15). Though Hasar isn’t considered a beauty, her eyes are cunning, and her grin is wicked. Hasar has a lover named Renia, who is a calm water in contrast to Hasar’s pure flame. Hasar is demanding and sharp-tongued, prone to jealousy and territorialism. Though she is loyal to her core, she is also a force to be contended with, even amongst friends.

Kashin, the fourth-born, controls the land armies consisting of foot soldiers and horse-lords. The text describes Kashin as a man not easily deterred, “certainly not in matters of the heart” (45). Unfortunately, his heart is set on Yrene, who does not have a romantic interest in Kashin. His continued attempts to secure her affection do more harm than good to their formerly amiable and platonic relationship.

Duva is the fifth-born sibling, described as “fine-boned” and six months pregnant. She’s recently married a prince from an overseas territory. Duva rarely appears throughout the novel, but when she does, she’s unusually reserved and quiet. These moments are a subtle foreshadowing of the battle waging within her against the Valg princess infesting her.

Tumelun, the youngest daughter, is recently deceased. It is revealed in Chapter 62 that the Valg princess possessing Duva killed Tumelun.