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Beast (Hunterheart) - Autumn King
Of the things James remembers from before he was taken, a few things stand out. He was a young son, brave and foolish. One of the first to volunteer after the Jap sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. He remembers hugging his ma'am, exchanging words with his war weary father who'd seen the horrors of the War to End All Wars, boisterous bragging with his older brothers, even a poignant moment with his girl. He remembers basic, the fierce camaraderie, the harsh training. He remembers blood and the shouts of people all around him, the panic and fear of battle. He remembers a sharp pain, confusion and a vague sense of disconnection, a sense of peace as he felt the world drifting away from him. He doesn't remember being taken off that battlefield, but he remembers what came next.
What can't have been more than a few years in Arcadia stretched out for him, while he labored under the lash of the Huntsman. The human in him submerged under lays of animal instinct, the rational thinking man fading in the face of the rush of the Beast. On his worst nights, Byron can remember the thrill of the chase, the sheer power of taking down the Prey that his Master sought in his endless Wyrd Hunt. How long did he run as one of the Huntsman's Hounds? Even Byron isn't sure, he only knows that it was long enough for him to forget all of what he was and accept the muzzle of one of the gentries hounds. He knows that he served long enough to prove himself the meanest, strongest and most powerful of the pack - leading all the others in the Hunt, answering only to the masters' lash.
Though quite sure he'd been taken somewhere in Europe, when James eventually cast off the muzzle of a Hound and remembered his name he found his way through the Hedge back to his Home in Boston. That was 1946, only shortly after the end of the war, and the homecoming he received was not precisely the one he had expected. Oh sure, he imagined that he'd have been declared MIA and presumed dead or deserted. That there would be hard answers due to all involved. What he hadn't expected was to be declared dead, complete with a Body and a Funeral. Most of his family had attended and seen the body, all knew it had been him, but now here he was standing before them seemingly very much alive. Yet mix ups are not unknown in time of war and it didn't take too much trouble for Byron to reclaim as much of his life as he could. All of his brothers had died in the war, his girl had gotten pregnant with some other GIs baby during the two years he was 'dead', and his parents seemed to know that something deep and fundamental had changed in their son that they'd perhaps never understand - or accept.
The acceptance he'd hoped to find in his home, James instead found in the Autumn Court and among the other veterans who had returned from the War with more than they ever expected. The Bloody-Handed Sons was as much support group as association, its membership fairly small but united in their common circumstances. Then, of course, there were his Dogs. From '46 to '51, Byron (or "the Houndmaster") made a bit of a name for himself among the Freehold. Many of those older to the Freehold looked upon him as a younger, wiser less-extreme version of Reginald Beyers, while the younger generation simply found that they liked him. He was a natural among the Autumn Court as well, developing a strong Mantle and forging relationships with other members of the Ashen Court. In particular, he developed a close friendship with the Autumn Queen Regina, looking to her as something of a mentor.
He was as shocked as anyone, and twice as outraged, when she was shot in 1951 just a few weeks before the beginning of her assumption of rule. Already having begun looking into the circumstances of her death, he took it upon himself to devote hastily-approved Kingship toward finding out why she had been shot and punishing those responsible. Officially, the circumstances of Regina's murder are still unsolved. Unofficially, most suspect that the Autumn King discovered who did it and handled it ... privately. Conspiracy Theorists among the Freehold often conjecture on who committed the murder and why, having a number of good suspects who disappeared around the end of the year. Even so, Byron was eager to pass on the mantle of rule that he'd never asked for and only served for two years before passing the torch to Smiling Jack in '53.
Byron remained an important figure in Court and Freehold even after laying down his crown, however. This put him right in the middle of the debacle with Blind Thomas and the "Year of Endless Winter". He and the rest of the Bloody Handed Sons were right there fighting against Thomas alongside the Ironhanded, while he also led the Autumn Court in their efforts to outmaneuver the King of Endless Winter and break the power of his Pledges. Summer and Autumn are still closer than might be expected due to this shared effort during that difficult time, though Byron and David have felt their relationship grow strained over the years (most recently, over the Spring Queen). Since the Year of Endless Winter, when Byron was begged by his Court to resume the rule of the Season, he has served as the Autumn King during his required term.
Always distracted by matters of Freehold, Court or Motley - Byron was surprised to find how deeply affected he was by the death of his father in '76. Never very close with extended family, with the entire Boston branch of his family dead (for he could not hope to produce a heir), the Autumn King slipped into a bit of a depression. Even his Mantle suffered, and some within the Ashen Court feared he might leave them for Winter. Then, as suddenly at it began, his depression ended in '78 - spurred on, perhaps, by his adoption of a young 9 year old girl of mixed race named Patricia. Though he kept up on all his obligations, raising this young girl immediately became his number one priority. He attended every play and softball game, ensured she got good grades in school, gave her boyfriends hell, and sent her away to one of the best schools in California when she turned 20 (she spent a summer abroad after she graduated high school). The entire Freehold noticed the change in his demeanor when she finally returned from living in Los Angeles in '97.
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