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A village ruled by myth, legend, and the Ponquet family name had received new inhabitants. A young man and his unstable mother had moved in months ago so that he could look after her better. Claude, as this was his name, lived in the town of Terminn, which bordered the Opclime woods. This forest, although generally benign, was said to hold a merciless beast who preyed on the innocent and fair, everything she was said not to be. Legends of her vain habits spread, and these horrific rumors were enough to keep everyone out and away. However, he and his mother, Madam Hemmingway, were ignorant to these tales, but soon would become well acquainted.

During their time in Terminn, the Hemmingways had been, overall, treated fairly, as Claude's presence made up for his mother's bouts of eccentric behavior, such as baking whole feasts only to lay them out in the yard for nature to claim, or hanging wet laundry out in the winter time. The villagers tended to forgive her mainly because of Claude's easygoing personality and kindness, and for awhile they turned the other way.

He particularly made an impression on Grimella Ponquet, daughter of the wealthy Marcus Ponquet. After one outing into town to return a few readings he had borrowed, Claude came across Grimella just as she had lost a beaded shawl. He quickly retrieved it from a branch of an Opclime tree as she babbled how grateful she was, saying if he hadn't rescued it for her then the vain beast of the woods would have taken it to add to her collection of luxurious jewelry that she gained from "killing nobility such as myself." Once her shawl had been returned, Claude left, not thinking much of the matter, but Grimella believed he was the one perfect for her.

Soon after the suitors of the town approached her, as normal, all wishing to be the next Mr. Ponquet (for even though they were the ones marrying in, the Ponquet name held so much power in the surrounding regions it was typically kept throughout the lineage).

"I will always be faithful to you, Grimella, and make sure you never grow hungry! With me you will always feast like a queen," one shouted near the bakery.

"Only I will be able to protect you from the dangers of the nearby Opclime Forest!" cried the huntsman.

"Neither of these fools will get you everything you want; I will shower you with the finest of fashions - anything you want I can make," said the tailor, balancing bolts of fabric in his arms.

Grimella, though she usually enjoyed the men's pleas for her love, was now deaf to them. "None of you shall win my heart, for it has already been conquered by another," she airily said, gazing at Claude's form as he walked down the path to his residence.

"Oh, how your cruel jests freeze my soul, Grimella. Who could lock away your most fair beauty so secretly?" the carpenter's son lamented.

"Yes, who is it that you seem to have devoted yourself to?"

The crowd of men began listing off the names, hoping to guess Grimella's prime suitor. She walked away, smiling quietly as they followed her, continuing to try to woo her. But now things were different, for she had been captivated by the bookish Claude's handsome looks. She was enamored with his light brown hair, the color of unsettled dust, and the shape of his face, delicate, but with hints of hidden strength. Having decided only he matched her in looks, Grimella began counting the days until the Hemmingway was hers.

Night was just beginning to fall as Claude reached his home, and he searched around for his mother until he heard the front door unlatch. With a light sigh of relief, he went to greet her, glad she had found her way back home before it had grown too dark.

"Mama, you shouldn't be wandering out this late; it's not safe." He took a basket full of fresh grapes from her and placed them on the kitchen counter. His mother was always gathering fruits to turn into jams, as this was how the Hemmingways supported themselves. In addition, it was a rather nice pastime for his mother, for she loved the creativity she could supply into their making, and he loved that it kept her out of trouble when he was away.

"Oh, Claude; don't worry. There's no she-beast out there that will hurt me," she said dismissively, turning away from him to walk towards the grapes in the kitchen.

"It's not the beast I worry about," he muttered. The attention he had gained from Grimella would soon bring hostile feelings from the other suitors all vying for her, and he wouldn't put it past them to drag his mother into this affair.

About a week later, Claude was approached by Marcus Ponquet in the town square. Unsure of the reason behind this meeting, he nervously placed the novel he was reading down beside him on the lip of the center fountain.

"Yes, Mr. Ponquet?" he asked, folding his hands together in an attempt to keep them still.

"Ah, my dear friend, Mr. Hemmingway," he said, and with each address forcefully patted Claude on the back, almost so that he nearly fell into the water. "I have come to discuss an…arrangement with you that you are sure to find highly pleasing." He sat down beside Claude and laid his gold-tipped walking stick across his lap. "You see, I believe that you would be the wisest choice to continue the Ponquet line. My daughter has spoken to me quite favorably about you. At first, I was dubious of her judgment, but when I came today to talk about it, I saw my Grimella had been right about you. For you so obviously possess the most defining Ponquet attribute-your looks."

Passing by, two of the townspeople were mumbling amongst themselves, and Claude heard them talking, having just seen Marcus, about how odd it was that "this boy not be interested in the most gorgeous Grimella."

At this moment, Claude was trying to think of a polite way to tell Mr. Ponquet that he wasn't interested in his daughter. "Well, sir, there are much better men than myself she could choose. I am flattered, but I couldn't possibly agree to enter your family line, for I have my mother to look after."

Suspecting something along these lines, Grimella had instructed her father in what to say next. "Yes, and it is this devotion that makes you even more desirable to her, besides your striking features, that is. When you marry my daughter," he said, hinting it was unavoidable, "we will have someone who would be able to constantly monitor her while you would be out." Marcus believed this would sate him.

However, Claude was determined to remain the primary caretaker of his mother, and wasn't too pleased with her being somewhat thrown to the side. "I must again express, though I am grateful for this attention and thankful for your acceptance of my mother and I into your town, I really must turn you and your daughter down." He made a movement to get up from his seat, but was barred by a walking stick.

"Really, Mr. Hemmingway, I beg you to reconsider. Before you go, I wish to make my intentions clear. My dear daughter Grimella has set her sights on you, and it would be a disappointment that she not be wed to the town's most eye-catching young man in town." With that final note, Mr. Ponquet allowed him to leave. Claude gathered his book and found a new place to settle and read.

Once the shops had began to close, Claude decided he might as well go home. He walked past the bookstore and the bakery down the cobbled path to his home. He imagined as he was going the types of jams his mother was making. Earlier he had bought some bread for a lunch, had put the extra in the cupboard, and was eager to try the jams with it. Claude opened the door and called out for his mother. With no response, he looked around again, searching each room in case she had decided to hide, as she occasionally had done before. Now it was dark, and he noticed her basket was missing. Panicking, he knew she was gone.