Her heart was racing and tears leaked from her eyes as she looked between her mother and father. Why was this happening? How had it come to this? Didn't they still love each other?

    Claudia's mother bore pained look on her face as she addressed both her children. "I know this is a very difficult decision to make. I promise, we won't hold it against you, whoever you choose." She trailed off, fighting back a sob.

    "You can either stay here with me in Katolis or move with your mother to Del Bar," finished Viren in a firm, controlled tone, though Claudia could see his eyes waver slightly as he gave them the options.

    "No, no, no!!" screamed her mind. This wasn't happening. Didn't they still love each other? How could she choose just one of them. She loved them both so much. Why couldn't they be a happy, loving family together just like how it used to be?

    She glanced at her older brother, Soren, to see what he would do. Surely he would speak up and tell Mom to stay. He too looked distraught as he stared at both of them. An emotion Claudia couldn't quite discern flickered across his face as his eyes met Dad's. He finally dropped his gaze to the ground and whispered in a broken voice, "I... I wanna stay with Dad."

    Mom made a small noise as though something had pierced her heart, and Claudia gave a betrayed gasp. How could he choose so easily? Didn't he realize their family was splitting apart and choosing Dad meant he would probably never see Mom again?

    Soren briefly peered up at his Mom's face and wished he hadn't. He winced. Mom was amazing and he knew she loved him dearly, but that was just it. He knew Mom loved him but had yet to see that in Dad. Maybe if he stayed with Dad, he could earn that love.

    Claudia could feel herself hyperventilate as everyone's sorrowful gazes turned to her. She couldn't choose! Her tearful eyes met her mother's. A quiet spark of understanding passed across Mom's features as she spared a glance at her ex-husband and Soren.

    "Claudia," she whispered despairingly. She swallowed hard, knowing her next words wouldn't be easy to understand. "I want you to stay with your brother." The crushed expression on her daughter's face was almost too much to bear. "It's better if you two stay together."

    She stooped to give her children one last hug and planted a loving kiss on each of their foreheads. And just like that, she was gone. Father disappeared too, wanting to grieve in solitude. Oddly, the tears that had been threatening to spill over disappeared from Claudia's eyes.

    For the longest time, Claudia sat and stared numbly at the door as if Mom would somehow magically reappear. Was it something she did? Could she have done something to keep her parents from splitting?

    Eventually, Soren slowly approached his dazed sister, hoping to break her out of her uncharacteristic quietness. "Hey, Clauds," he greeted softly with a sad, half-smile fixed on his face. "You've been standing here a while. Don'cha wanna go do something?"

    He tentatively tapped her shoulder when he received no reply. Her eyes filled with tears and her lip trembled as she tried to hold in a sob.

    Soren became worried when he noticed this. He hated seeing his sister sad, more so if she was crying. "Woah, wait. It's okay." He pulled her into a tight bear hug.

    Claudia gripped him tightly as if he were her only lifeline. "Is dad still here?" she whimpered.

    "Yeah, he's still in the castle. Don't worry. Me and him aren't going anywhere," comforted Soren.

    "Promise?" sniffled the young mage as pulled back to stare him dead in the eye.

    His clear blue eyes shone in earnest. "I promise." He held up his pinkie. "Pinkie promise."

    Despite the tears still filling her eyes, Claudia smiled as they locked pinkies. Her family may have just gotten smaller but at least Soren and Dad would still always be with her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Some promises just weren't made to last.

    Claudia followed after her brother as he swiftly departed from their dad's side. "Soren! What's going on? Where are you going?"

    He couldn't be leaving. Not now. Not when Katolis and Dad needed him. They had to do this together, as a family. Isn't that what a family did? Stayed with each other come flood or fire.

    The Crownguard looked despairingly at his sister. "I can't stay here anymore, Claudia. You've seen what's going on. What Dad turned Kasef into. What... Dad turned into."

    Claudia's heart dropped. She could see where this was going. "Maybe he's just doing what needs to be done."

    Sure, some of the stuff Dad did occasionally was... questionable, but everyone makes mistakes. Soren couldn't abandon them for their flaws. It wasn't right.

    Her brother pointed out sadly, "Claudia, you're changing too."

    Involuntarily, Claudia brushed her fingers against the streak of white that tainted her raven hair. No. That wasn't right. She and Dad were still doing as they had always done: working for the good of Katolis. Soren was the one who was changing. He was the one who was abandoning his family: abandoning his kingdom.

    "But it's not too late. Come with me, Claudia. You can leave him!" urged Soren fervently while gripping his sister's shoulders.

    Claudia's voice broke with emotion as his departure became more and more real by the second. She pulled away from his grasp, desperately begging him, "Please, Soren! Don't—don't do this to me! Don't make me choose, not again!"

    She could hardly bare to look at him. He couldn't. He just couldn't. How could he betray her and Dad like this? Why would he break the family—her even further?

    It hurt worse than when she had cast the Dancing Flames Spell for the first time and scorched her hands. To a degree, it was even more agonizing than when a Mom had left. This pain was internal and unseen, and it was tearing her heart apart. She was not going to choose. She couldn't.

    "Okay," concedes Soren sorrowfully after a moment's thought.

    Claudia snaps her gaze up towards him, surprised and hopeful. He was going to stay?!

    He leans in to hug her, softly saying, "Goodbye, Clauds."

    The distraught girl jerks back as if denying his farewell would end his going away. "No!"

    This could not be happening. Her family couldn't be fractured even further. 

    Soren's broad shoulders drooped in wretched disappointment. Without another word, he treaded away. It took all his strength to not stop and listen to his sister's heartbroken pleas. He had to do this. 

    As much as he wanted to force Claudia away from the monstrosity they called Dad, he felt it would not be fair to her or do any good. She had to choose for herself. It wouldn't be freeing for her if she was still blinded by her twisted affection for Dad. He hoped his leaving would help her realize the truth and not come back to bite him in the backside.

    "No! No, no, no! No!"

    Claudia turned her back as her brother left. She didn't fight the tears that spilled freely down her face nor did she bother wiping them away. This time, as another family member walked away, there were no comforting promises and hugs from Sor-bear, only agonizing silence and darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

    It was a long, quiet trek to the Storm Spire without Soren. Turns out, an army of mutant magma monsters don't make for very interesting conversationalists. 

    Eventually, Viren spoke to Claudia as they passed under the shadow of the slain Thunder. "I am proud of you, Claudia. Despite everything, you have stood beside me."

    "Pffft. Well of course," laughed Claudia. "You're my dad, Dad."

    She wasn't like Mom or Soren. She knew the importance of family. No matter what, she would not abandon her Dad.

    "I know," smiled Viren. "It's just... you have grown up so brilliant and strong. But you are still my little girl."

    The joy her dad's words brought were overridden by the stinging fact that, at this point, she was his only child still at his side. "We're all that's left of our family. And—and I won't let anything break us apart."

    She meant those words wholeheartedly. Nothing in Xadia or the five kingdoms was going to take from her the only family member she had. Together, the two of them were going to survive and win this battle for the betterment of all the human kingdoms.

    Soren was wrong to turn his back on them. Maybe once this was all over, he would see and return to where he belonged. There was still a chance for them to be a happy family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Nevertheless, it seemed happiness and a complete family weren't hers to ever possess.

    Even though Claudia knew it was just an illusion, this moment was all too surreal as Soren stood there with his sword pointed at "Viren." He didn't know that it was just an illusion. Was her sweet, dorky brother really willing to stab what he thought was their Dad?

    Claudia rushed over, stopping a few feet from "Viren's" right side. She stood opposite to Soren, staring at his momentarily stunned expression. It hurt more than it should have to come face to face with him because now, it was painfully clear that they had taken different sides. No longer could they be the playful brother and sister duo everyone knew them to be.

    In distress, she cried out, "Soren, wait! You're making a mistake!"

    Confliction appeared on the young Crownguard's face when looking at the mage. Then, his expression hardened with steely determination. He didn't address Claudia, instead sternly ordering "Viren", "Lay down your staff and surrender."

    Claudia glared at Soren. How could he betray them like this? Why would he desert his own family, his own flesh and blood, to protect those murderous elves? What happened to "blood is thicker than water?"

    For her, everything moved in slow motion. "Viren" brought his staff down to stab Ezran and Soren lunged forward. The sword stabbed straight through the illusion. Unfortunately, such a strong spell was over it that it did not dissipate immediately. Instead, it gave an extremely real depiction of her Dad dying. 

    Both her and Soren were shell-shocked as they watched red bloom across "Viren's" chest before he collapsed on the broken battlefield. 

    After that, Claudia doesn't remember much. For a long moment, she stared at the dead illusion before asking in accusation, "How could you?"

    Those three words brought the reality of what Soren had just done crashing down on him. He dropped his sword and fell to his knees, shaking and staring at his hands in horror. He stuttered in shock, "I–I, I had no choice."

    Ezran said something and asked something to which she recalls responding harshly. Then, all she remembers is running, fleeing from the two she once thought her friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Claudia overheard the terrible news from two passing soldiers who failed to notice her huddled in the shadows. No. No! Her Dad couldn't be dead. This was all planned so well. How did everything turn out so wrong? They were supposed to be the victors, not the elves and the traitors!

    At this point, she didn't care if she was captured. With reckless abandon, she sprinted over to the base of the Storm Spire. By some miracle, no soldiers or elves caught her. 

    When she finally found her dad's broken and mutilated body, everything inside her shattered. She cried out in anguish, not caring if anyone saw or heard as she collapsed on the blood-soaked ground. The grieving girl sobbed and ended up vomiting from the gruesome sight.

    For a long while, she just kneeled there and wept. It was just her and her cries in the deathly silence. Everything and everyone she loved was gone. She felt hollow inside. Was there anything left for her in the world? 

    Why was fate so cruel? All she wanted was for her family to be whole. She wanted a happy and loving family. Was that really too much of her to ask? She had done her best to be loyal and true, and this was her reward? A traitorous brother and her Dad's wrecked carcass.

    Now she was truly alone. No family. No friends. Not even her enemies were around. Only her and her alone. A broken orphan on a deserted battlefield mourning over the bloody fragments of her final family member.

Well, that was depressing. Have nice day everyone! Comment? Vote? Please?

Seriously though, I love Claudia and Season 3 hurt. Big thanks to @Moonlight35472 for bringing me into the TDP fandom!