Leyten

Leyten is a Windrunner and member of Bridge Four on the planet Roshar. He is the quartermaster of the Windrunners under Kaladin Stormblessed, and as such is responsible for keeping them supplied with uniforms and other items.
== Appearance and Personality ==
Leyten is thick-bodied and has an oval-shaped face. He is tall, stout, and has light, short curly hair. He has an affable nature, finding it easy to talk to people no matter their rank. A defining part of him is his neatness, his way of doing things in a tidy way, which is why he is the quartermaster for Bridge Four. For example, he packed Kaladin's travel rucksack for the Conquest of Shinovar, and Kaladin notes that no one packs like Leyten. He likes it when work is boring, and would rather be sorting things, packing, etc, than killing.
== History ==
===Bridge Four===
Leyten was an apprentice armorer prior to becoming a bridgeman, but when a lighteyes' armor broke and he took an arrow in the shoulder, the blame fell on Leyten. As a result, he was demoted to work on the bridge crews.
On the first bridge run after Kaladin's promotion to bridgeleader, Leyten dropped after taking two arrow wounds in his shoulder and the opposite arm. Another arrow grazed his stomach and his left leg was trampled by a horse. Teft and Rock carried Leyten to Kaladin, who insisted on treating his wounds. Leyten fell unconscious and Kaladin feared he wouldn’t make it. However, he still pulled the arrows free from his arms and cauterized the wounds, then splinted Leyten’s leg using the arrow shafts and cauterized that wound as well, saving the man’s life. The crew brought him back to the barracks by tying him to the top of their bridge while they ran and then quickly untying him before the army crossed. 
Leyten’s wounds soon became infected, causing Kaladin to enlist Rock and Teft to help collect knobweed sap for its antiseptic qualities. The knobweed sap worked, and soon Leyten was up and about, though he initially had a lot of trouble walking due to his crushed leg.
Leyten’s condition continued to improve, even joining the rest of Bridge Four in the chasms for spear training and harvesting. After the success of using the Parshendi carapace armor, Leyten was tasked with crafting additional sets for every man in Bridge Four. He expertly crafted it to fit on their current leather jerkins and caps, along with arm and shin guards to match. Leyten insisted on ornamenting the helms with ridges and cuts, as well as cutting the breastplates and guards in toothlike patterns.
=== Kholin Army (1173) ===
After the Battle of the Tower, Leyten joined Dalinar’s army along with the rest of the bridgemen. He continued working on armor, fixing issues as gear arrived from the quartermaster. He also assisted in guarding the various members of House Kholin. In the mornings, Leyten trained with Natam and a few others. When Kaladin gave Shen a spear, he encouraged the parshmen to train with Leyten and Natam, who were willing to teach him. When Renarin joined Bridge Four, Leyten helped teach him how to carry a bridge. 
Leyten was one of the bridgemen who was guarding Dalinar when Rlain surrendered himself to the Alethi. He survived the Everstorm and the preceding battle. At Urithiru, he was among the members of Bridge Four who accompanied Shallan Davar when she confronted Re-Shephir. He was shaken by the event and had nightmares about it for some time. 
=== The Windrunners (1174) ===
He became a squire to Kaladin Stormblessed at some point during their training, and so he participated in the running competition that Sigzil held to test the benefits of Stormlight. He was one of the slowest due to stopping for food during the run. Alongside his training, he kept on handling the supply, but as organization of the bridge crews was a mess, he couldn't deal with all the requisition orders. 
Leyten presumably fought in the Battle of Thaylen Field and the preceding battle in defense of Urithiru along with the rest of Bridge Four present.
Following the battle at Thaylen City, Leyten bonded a spren of his own, named Ethenia. He later went on a mission to Akinah with several other Windrunners. He reported a strange weather pattern around the island as well as swarms of strange small shadows (later discovered to be hordelings that had bred with larkin) hovering in the clouds, but was unsure if they were alive or were spren. One came from behind and drained him of his Stormlight. He subsequently fell in the ocean and had to be rescued by Lyn and Sigzil.
He also accompanies the Fourth Bridge on its expedition to Hearthstone, defending the airship against the Fused assault along with a dozen other Windrunners. 
Following Kaladin's retirement, Leyten gathers around fifty Windrunners to show respect to their former highmarshal. He and a majority of the Bridge Four Windrunners join Dalinar Kholin's forces on the battlefield in Emul.
Later, he goes with Dalinar on his trip to find Ishar, and finds that he and the other four Windrunners are no match for Ishar's power as Ishar tethers all five to the stone with a "glowing rope that drained the Stormlight out." After Ishar flees, Dalinar has Leyten and the other Windrunners search the Herald's camp, finding unnatural corpses of spren within the Physical Realm. The group then returns to Emul, unnerved by their experience. Leyten later reunited with Bridge Four to participate in Teft's funeral.
=== Second Battle of Narak ===
Leyten is sent with Sigzil and other members of Bridge Four to defend the four Narak Plateaus from the Fused army to prevent them from taking the Shattered Plains. He fights alongside the rest of the Radiants in various skirmishes and acts as Sigzil's right-hand man in battle. Leyten wishes he could be doing boring work rather than killing, to which Sigzil agrees. Upon the discovery of Moash among the enemy forces, Leyten swears there will be a reckoning when he is discovered. During a battle, Leyten finds Moash, and despite Sigzil's warnings, moves to go fight him alone. After Sigzil arrives, Moash and Sizgil talk before Leyten's spren, Ethenia, is killed with an anti-Light knife, and Leyten is killed with the same knife while shocked by Ethenia's death. Leyten's death rattle foreshadows Sigzil and his spren Vienta's death at the hands of Moash. Sigzil mourns Leyten, and Vienta is concerned that what happened to Ethenia will just as easily happen to her.
== Trivia ==
* Leyten is based on a friend in Brandon's writing group named Alan.
== Notes ==
Category: Bridgemen