The Directional Courts officially formed a freehold during the construction of Washington, D.C. to monitor and protect the Major Trod that Union Station was eventually built around. The center of D.C's Diamond doubled as the seat of power for both the Changelings of the Freehold and of the United States. For some time, this worked extremely well. Though the Emperors feuded over politics and territory in the mundane world, when it came to protecting the lost and the Freehold, their unity was and decisiveness was more than capable of holding back the encroachment of the Fae.

It all changed in 1847.

Some argue that Virginia's retrocession was indeed a plot set into motion by the true Fae. Some believe it had nothing to do with the Fae at all, but was a consequence of politics of other supernatural factions. Regardless of why it happened, when Virginia reclaimed it's portion of land from Washingtion, D.C the consequences for the freehold were devastating.

The Hedge in the reclaimed portions of land no longer affected by the Wyrd of the, now Venerable, Emperors of the West and South. It began to change in unpredictable ways, and agents of the true Fae were able to successfully infiltrate the Freehold.

The Wyrd of the Emperors' of the South and West no longer shaped the Hedge. Known paths and trods became lost. The thorns became sharper. A great hunt was called. The Court of the west fought valiantly to stave off the hunters - privateers, loyalist, and even a few of the fair folk themselves; but to no avail. Their onslaught was too great, and they decimated the once populous court and captured their Emperor. His fate is unknown to this day.

With the Emperor of the West taken out of play, the balance of power in the freehold shifted. The Emperors of the South and North began to overextend their resources to reclaim and recoup the territory that was that was lost. Without the military might of the west to protect them, the courtiers of the other directions were more frequently captured or outright killed. Hope was all but lost.

Things changed when the Summer came. A survivor of the West Court, a freshly initiated Soldier, collected a group fresh lost and launched a counter-attack against the hunters. This rag-tag group of survivors and desperate warriors braved the unknown lands of the hedge, slaughtering any agents of the fey they could with relentless and brutal efficiency. Honor gave way to wrath, and a Blazing Crown ignited upon the young Soldier's head. From that day forward, he was known as the Comeback King, the first King of Summer.

His victories inspired others to rally to his Banner, and many adopted the Mantle of Summer in the process. As faith waned in the leadership of the Emperors, their courtiers began to abandoned their ways for those of the seasons as well. As the influence of the Directional courts fell, the Seasonal courts grew more powerful and, by year's end, reclaimed all of the territory lost in the Retrocession.

After the conflict died down, the new Monarchs of the Seasonal Courts made arrangement with the Emperors to keep the land they had recovered. The negotiations took the better part of a year (largely because the Seasonal Monarchs changed leadership so often, which was foreign to the Emperors), but the end result was the Formation of the Freehold of the Diamond Pact. Now, the Seasonal Courts hold sway in the territories lost in the War of Retrocession.