Eric de Montafleur

“	This town knew nothing of my father's treachery. I alone should bear Mab's fury.	”
—Eric de Montafleur, Queen of Sands

Eric de Montafleur is a major character in the ninth Dark Parables game, Queen of Sands.

He is the Baron of the town of Montafleur and the heir of the Montafleur perfume dynasty.

Eric is based on the Beast from the French fairytale, Beauty and the Beast.

Appearance and Personality[]

At the beginning of Queen of Sands, Eric de Montafleur had the appearance of a human-lion hybrid. He was covered in tan fur with a mane of golden brown hair surrounding his face. His facial features were that of a lion, with his eyes being a bright yellow. His body was muscular, and his legs having the arched appearance of a digitigrade animal. He also had thick, sharp, black claws on his hands and feet. In his beastly form, Eric wore a leather loincloth covering over his lower torso that ends in strips of leather that hang over his thighs.

As a human, Eric has straight, shoulder-length blond hair and gray eyes. He is usually seen in regal attire befitting his station but after his curse was broken he wore only a plain brown tunic that had been shredded at the bottom.

Despite his intimidating appearance and fierce temper, Eric is at heart a brave and loyal man - he cares deeply for the people of Montafleur and for individuals like Brianne and the Detective.

History[]

Eric was born the only son of Hubert de Montafleur and his wife, Adelle. Eric's mother died when he was very young and his father was a distant parent, spending most of his time working in his study. Eric was forbidden to enter Hubert's study and often wondered why his father didn't seem to trust him.

After Hubert died, Eric inherited his father's title, manor, and perfume business. But upon entering his father's study for the first time, he found a sealed perfume bottle on the desk and opened it. It was there that Eric learned his father's deepest, darkest secret - he had imprisoned Mab, the Queen of Sands, for years, using her Sandman sand to fuel his perfume wealth. Now freed from her prison, Mad unleashed her wrath, cursing Eric to take the form of a human-lion hybrid and turning the people of Montafleur into nightmare creatures.

With his town under attack from the Queen of Sands, Eric vowed to protect his people however he could. In time, the Order of the Red Riding Hood Sisters arrived to investigate the strange happenings, and Eric was briefly chased into an alley by Ruth and Jessica but managed to escape them. When the Fairytale Detective arrived to assist, Mab ambushed Ruth and another sister, Brianne, in the lavender fields but Eric pushed Ruth into the barn and carried Brianne back to his manor.

After the Detective unknowingly helped Mab enter the perfume lab, Eric angrily berated her but quickly calmed down to apologize. Revealing his true identity and intentions to stop Mab, Eric guided the Detective to his manor through the well where she found Brianne safe and well. When the Detective searched the manor's study and discovered some incriminating notes, Eric confirmed that it was his father's act of greed that brought the Queen of Sands' wrath upon Montafleur; such was Eric's anger towards Hubert that he was in danger of letting the beast consume his mind and so begged the Detective to find his family locket in the library.

With the locket around his neck, Eric's mind remained intent and he joined the Detective and Brianne in the gallery to devise a plan to bring down Mab. Returning to the perfume store, Eric and the Detective entered the lab too late as Mab had found her first hourglass prism. With Mab's Nightmare Golem beginning to level the town, the duo searched for the second hourglass prison in the ruins of the Moon Goddess temple where Eric eventually found it in a cage; however, the Queen of Sands quickly scratched it back and the duo was only saved from the Nightmare Golem by the intervention of Rapunzel and her plant magic.

Eric headed to the Clock Tower with Brianne and the Detective for their final battle with Mab, but during the fight, he was badly injured. Brianne, who had grown to love Eric despite his beastly appearance, kissed him on the lips as the Queen of Sands' curse on Eric was broken.

Freed, at last, Eric thanked the Detective for saving Montafleur and insisted that he would forever be in her debt.

Powers and Abilities[]

Agility
Super strength

Relationships[]

Hubert de Montafleur (father, deceased)
Adelle de Montafleur (mother, deceased)
Brianne (love interest)
Mab (former enemy)

Trivia[]

Eric is a Norse name meaning "ever" or "eternal ruler".

Quotes[]

Quotes by Eric de Montafleur[]

"What have you done?! All of my efforts... Ruined!"
"Forgive me, Detective. I let my rage consume me."
"Don't let this beastly appearance deceive you. I am actually Baron Eric de Montafleur."
"It's my duty to protect the people of this town."
"It was my father's act of greed that brought this misfortune upon us all."
"Stay back! I can't hold it in any longer!"
"Please, my locket is in the library. Find it, before my mind is lost!"
"Now go! BEGONE!"
"My father gave me this locket. It's the only thing that keeps the beast within me sealed and my mind intact."
"This town knew nothing of my father's treachery. I alone should bear Mab's fury."
"Our situation has worsened, but there still may be hope!"
"Come, Detective, let's end this!"
"This is the place our tragedy began. It seems fitting it should end here as well."
"I am eternally in your debt."