Sometimes a man seeks out death, and other times it seeks him out. From a young age, Roane was coming to understand death on several levels - lessons that would be keystones in his future training.
When he was 5, his nanny was taken quickly by a stomach sickness. The woman wasn’t so old (though she seemed it to Roane), but it struck hard and fast. Two years later, watching a joust hosted at Westgate, a lance was glanced high and plunged into the neck of the other rider. It had found a fault in the armour and driven straight in - the fountain of blood wouldn’t soon be forgotten by the young man. Shortly after becoming a squire, himself and a few other young squires are attacked by common children in the town. The reasons were foggy, but attack they did. One of the other squires fell badly and his neck was broken, while the others battled down the assailants. They were treated harshly for their attack upon nobility.
Death isn’t such a rare thing, but these experiences are what Roane would later attribute his dedication to the tasks he was given. He did well with lessons both involving books and those with swords. He quickly understood that decisions that would be made away from the field of battle could just as well save lives as those he made with his blade. He threw himself into accounts of battles, sieges and warfare in general. He practiced long hours in the yard, his hand hardening with callouses at a young age.
Besides his particular dedication to his work, his life was much like hundreds of other squires and minor heirs across the land. Roane would sometimes take abuse from his peers about not wanting to have as much fun as some - he wouldn’t often indulge in drink as he got older and he wasn't inclined toward chasing skirts.
Not everything can be credited to work ethic. Roane was born physically strong and was consistently taller and stronger than others of his age. His balance was good and he always grew in proportion and had no awkward gangly years that many squires suffer through.
He was a teenager with few close friends. Most of those he comfortably acquainted himself with were older than he. He was a serious young man - but not without some sense of humour and light heartedness around those he was comfortable with. Those were simply difficult to find.
The Battle of Westgate is what defines Roane beyond anything else. It won him fame, his knighthood and his current position as Champion and personal guard to Prince Tyrel. Orders from the prince were to hold out “at all costs” - and Roane took that seriously. He had no intention of giving in to the invaders, even though his numbers paled in comparison to those of his enemy. But, he had strong walls between himself and them and used them fully to his advantage. If you ask him now, those three weeks that he held the walls are a blur. The man had very little sleep and made decisions that ended hundreds of lives. He used every trick he had ever studied to hold out for one more day and then another.
And he didn’t just command - he manned the walls with the other men and fought until his arms were heavy. He rode out in some well executed counter strikes, looking to disable war engines and send chaos in to the attacking ranks. These manoeuvres were costly, but necessary to keep the gates from crashing down.
In the end, it stood. Reinforcements finally arrived and Roane became Sir Roane, being introduced into the Rioga ranks at the young age of 20. From that point forward he has kept close to Prince Tyrel - protecting and advising him as well as he’s able. He’s dedicated and loyal to the prince and even several years later constantly wanting to prove that he is worthy of the position that he was granted.