Triston Royce

Ser Triston Royce (born 413 AC) is the only son of Lord Andar Royce and is heir apparent to the lordship of Runestone.

Appearance and Character
Triston is a tall and slender man with typical Valeman features. Shoulder length brown hair and piercing blue eyes accompany a handsome face derived from the Rosby side of his family.

He has a gregarious demeanor and is rather cosmopolitan having been raised primarily within the walls of King's Landing. An adventurer at heart, he was oft found in places he was not allowed to be within the city whether on a rooftop or scaling a wall to see what was on the other side.

Early Life
Triston was born to Andar Royce and Meredyth Rosby in 413 AC within the family's manse in King's Landing. Even with his family held as hostages of the Crown, the boy had access to a plethora of tutors and was given an education befitting a future lord. He was taught his letters and basic history, in addition to becoming familiar with his future duties.

He adapted to life in the capital well, finding pleasures where others would find none despite his status as a hostage of the crown. He made friends easily with local children his old age, a varied mix of gentry and smallfolk whose parents usually knew his father from some business venture or another.

When he turned 14, he was taken under the wing of Ser Abelar Arryn as the knight's squire and began his combat training in earnest.

Triston excelled with a bow and ranged weaponry while just performing adequately with their closer ranged counterparts. While he could hold his own as a swordsman his true prowess rested with the bow and his mentor encouraged its application.

Blue Winter
Triston's training continued through the duration of the Blue Winter. Snowed in with Abelar in the Gates of the Moon, he took to studying military tactics but also poisons and their application. He was friendly with the castle's maester who fancied himself an alchemist of sorts and was more than happy to share his knowledge with the young lordling.

Even with the snows making travel difficult, there was still a need to track the movements of the Mountain Clans who were forced to raid for basic supplies. It was during this time that Triston learned the basics of ranging. He was taught how to follow tracks, move unseen and unheard, and use the environment to his advantage.

His slender frame made it less difficult for him to move quickly amongst the trees and up narrow passages in the mountains, allowing him to travel where others could not. Often he would go out alone and return with news of clan movements and other observations such as the state of the surrounding holds and villages.

Springtide
Triston's first introduction to the chivalric duties of a knight came in 428 AC during the Springtide tournament in King's Landing. It was the first time the young lordling was present for such a grand occasion and he was awed by the multitude of lords and ladies present.

It was also one of the proudest moments in the young man's life as he had the honor of squiring for the champion of the festival whose final tilt against Criston Lannister became a story told throughout the realm. While the glory did not belong to him, there was a satisfaction in knowing he had helped his mentor achieve ultimate victory.

The Bleeding
When the events of The Bleeding broke out in 432 AC, Triston traveled with Abelar wherever they were dispatched to. He leveraged his skills as a ranger to track enemy forces and scout ahead of the main force providing valuable intelligence to the commanders behind. However, he took part in few battles or engagements of note having been tasked primarily as a scout.

That was, until the Gulltown Massacre broke out in 433 AC. With his mentor he traveled to the city to help quell the rioting that had occurred. News did not reach him that his grandfather, Reynard Royce, had been killed within the city until they were already deep within the city and arrested. Along with Selwyn Waxley and Lord Grafton, Triston and his mentor were bound, stripped, and dragged to the city's center. All but Lord Grafton were spared the painful death that followed having proven their devotion to the Seven. When the senior knights overpowered their escort out of the city, Triston aided them and escaped the custody of Ser Daryn and his zealots.

Cut off from the outside world, Triston assisted Abelar and Selwyn with their guerrilla tactics, leading small groups of militia men and resistance fighters to burn supplies and disrupt the movements of Ser Daryn's men. Their efforts went well until Triston watched in horror as Selwyn, a man the squire had come to respect, was unceremoniously burned alive above the city's gatehouse. Triston was sickened by what he saw and was emboldened by his newfound anger and hatred for Ser Daryn.

When Abelar captured Ser Daryn and the city gates were opened to welcome the Vale forces beyond, Triston stood proudly at his mentor's side, still bloodied from the fighting that had occurred just before. He watched on with pride as Abelar was named Commander of the Winged Knights; and, to his surprise, was knighted by the man soon after his appointment. He had become a knight of the Vale and a brother within the Brotherhood of the Winged Knights.

Present Day
After the events of the Bleeding, Triston returned to the mountains to take up his duties as a ranger of the Vale. He leads a small band of loyal rangers who, together, keep a watchful eye on the movements of the Mountain Clans and any threats that may approach the Vale from beyond.

Family
See: House Royce