Larat

Larat is a fae whose ambition and appetite for violence make him a useful but dangerous ally. Once the Prince of Nightfall, he leads a Wild Hunt that escapes the old Court’s constraints by binding itself to Catherine Foundling. Their service is marked by treachery, bargains, and mutual calculation: Larat follows the terms of his oaths while probing for a way to become more than a subordinate. When he receives the crowns he is owed, he briefly becomes King of Twilight, then abdicates and leaves with the Hunt on his own terms.

Biography

From Prince of Nightfall to the Queen’s Huntsman

Larat begins as a prince of the Winter Court, scheming to escape the Court’s changing order by binding himself and the Wild Hunt to Catherine. The bargain gives him a route out of Arcadia, but it also places his Hunt under her authority. Their alliance is built on mutual leverage rather than trust: Catherine needs the Hunt’s ability to travel and fight, while Larat wants the freedom and power that her changing Court can offer. (Chapters 153–55 and 271)

As Catherine’s court changes from Winter to Night, Larat treats each new arrangement as a chance to press his own claim. He urges her to bestow mantles and warns her that those she loves will age, but she refuses to grant titles merely to make her followers immortal. He still leads the Hunt into battle when she calls, yet his attempt to kill Vivienne—and then Catherine—after Catherine’s return exposes how little security an oath provides against his nature. Catherine subdues him rather than ending the alliance, and Larat continues to serve while testing its boundaries. (Chapters 164–65, 170–71)

The Hunt’s service and its price

Larat’s loyalty is transactional, but it is not empty. When Catherine is captured in Keter, he brings the Wild Hunt through the wards to free her, then fights alongside her against Malicia’s forces. His relish for slaughter repeatedly unsettles Catherine, who tries to keep the Hunt’s violence directed at military enemies rather than prisoners or captives. Larat accepts her orders when the bargain requires it, though his comments make clear that the Hunt’s appetite remains his own. (Chapters 200–01 and 204)

The change from Winter to Night reshapes the Hunt’s place in Creation and weakens Larat’s old assumptions about power. Catherine recognizes that the Hunt has bound itself not only to her Winter but to the deeper Night within her, making her its patron and source. Larat resents the implication that the Firstborn might be his superiors, yet he continues to serve until the bargain is fulfilled. Their relationship becomes a contest over obligation: Catherine interprets the oath as a continuing bond, while Larat looks toward the promised crowns as an exit. (Chapters 269 and 271)

The Twilight Crown and departure

When Catherine pays the seven crowns and one promised to him, Larat takes the newly formed Twilight Crown and declares himself its king. He immediately abdicates, naming the worthiest of the fae to bear it instead. The act changes him: his unnatural appearance shifts, and Catherine realizes that he no longer carries the power she once sensed in him. Larat has used the bargain to make something new for the Hunt, not to claim a lasting throne for himself. (Chapters 284–85)

Their parting is cordial but final. Larat salutes Catherine and says that his service was a pleasure; she acknowledges that he kept his oaths while refusing to pretend that affection erased his betrayals. He leaves with the Wild Hunt free of their old obligations, declaring that they will do as they wish. The narrative does not establish what Larat does after their departure. (Chapter 285)

Appearance and personality

Larat is a one-eyed fae with long black hair and a pale, unnaturally smooth face. He moves with quiet grace and carries himself with the easy confidence of a creature who expects others to fear him. After he abdicates the Twilight Crown, he appears less unnatural, though the change’s full extent is not explained. (Chapters 154, 170, 269, and 285)

He is charming, cruel, patient, and consistently interested in leverage. Larat enjoys violence and psychological intimidation, but also understands bargains closely enough to exploit their gaps. His service to Catherine shows that he can keep an oath while remaining personally treacherous; he does not mistake obedience for loyalty. (Chapters 164, 170, 201, and 285)

Abilities and role

As a fae prince, Larat is a powerful fighter and the leader of the Wild Hunt. He can lead the Hunt through gates and into places protected against other forms of travel, including the wards around Keter. The text shows him surviving and fighting through those crossings, but does not provide a complete account of the Hunt’s limits or the mechanics of his own power. (Chapters 163–65, 200–01)

Larat’s powers are tied to his story and Court. His oath to Catherine first anchors the Hunt to Winter and then to Night; the power shift changes what the Hunt is, but Catherine’s account suggests the fae retain their own agency within that bond. When Larat receives and abdicates the Twilight Crown, he loses the power he previously carried and enters an altered state that the narrative does not fully define. He has no mortal Name or Aspect progression. (Chapters 269, 271, and 284–85)

Power progression

Relationships

• Catherine Foundling: Their relationship is a bargain between a queen who needs the Hunt and a fae prince seeking escape and advancement. Larat serves her, tests his freedom through treachery, and eventually leaves after she pays what she owes him. (Chapters 153–55, 170–71, 269, and 284–85)

• The Wild Hunt: Larat leads the Hunt and negotiates its service as a group. He treats its violence as part of its nature, while Catherine attempts to direct that violence toward her enemies. (Chapters 164–65, 201, and 285)

Items

Larat receives and briefly wears the Twilight Crown, then abdicates it. The crown becomes the basis of a new Court rather than a lasting personal possession. (Chapters 284–85)