Waymar Royce

"If you want to run away south, run away. Of course, they will behead you as a deserter... if I don't catch you first."

- Ser Waymar to Will.

Ser Waymar Royce is a minor character in the first season, appearing only in the series premiere, "Winter is Coming". He was portrayed by Rob Ostlere. He was sworn brother of the Night's Watch who was killed by White Walkers.

Background
Ser Waymar Royce was a knight of House Royce, an ancient and proud noble family of the Vale of Arryn, and the youngest son Lord Yohn Royce, Lord of Runestone and the head of the family. He joined the Night's Watch and was placed amongst the Rangers due to his noble birth and skill at arms.

Season 1
Ser Waymar commands a ranging beyond the Wall, accompanied by Gared and Will, to investigate sightings of wildlings close by. Instead, they find wights and a White Walker. Royce, along with Gared, was brutally killed. Will flees and is eventually executed by Ned Stark for desertion.

Season 4
Sansa Stark mentions to Lord Yohn Royce that she had previously met him at Winterfell when Yohn was escorting his son Waymar to the Wall to join the Night's Watch.

Behind the scenes
In the unaired pilot episode he was played by Jamie Campbell Bower, but was recast with Rob Ostlere when the opening scene was re-shot.

He is the first character in the series to be killed.

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, House Royce of Runestone is distantly related to House Stark. As is the third and youngest son of "Bronze" Yohn Royce, and therefore having little chance of inheriting lands or wealth, he joined the Night's Watch. Waymar was fast-tracked to being an officer because of his noble blood. Eighteen-year-old Waymar is a skilled warrior, trained by his castle's master-at-arms, but is untested in battle. He is arrogant and has a tendency to underrate the experience of other men due to their lower birth, even though they have been serving on the Wall for longer than he has, but he is not completely stupid.

Nonetheless, when the Others - as the White Walkers are known in the novels - appear he bravely attempts to fight one in single combat. However, his sword shatters after a few clashes with the ice-sword of the Other, and he is defeated and killed. When Will surveys the damage and retrieves Royce's shattered sword Royce revives as a wight, his eyes now icy blue, and murders Will.

The young Sansa (who was less than 11 years old at the time) developed a massive romantic crush on the handsome young man in the brief time he and his father stayed at Winterfell before he departed to the Wall.