start with your name.

[Claudius Aston]

427.

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[/html]Claudius scowled at his brother through his tears, but was too tired and emotionally worn out to do much else. He lowered his arms from his chest and then crossed them in front of them, but changed his mind so he was clutching each wrist with the opposite hand. This let him scratch at his wrists better so that he could renew the scabs that had formed after the rope had been removed. He still scratched there, always reminding himself of that stupid night.

Claudius jerked his head up when he realized he had drifted off – somehow – as his brother had been shouting at him. At the last, ‘come on!’ Claudius narrowed his eyes, took a step forward, and even felt his lip twitch, but didn’t actually bare his teeth. That would just be dumb and Claudius liked to think that he was the smart one in the family.

He took another step forward when Attila said that he cared about him. Really? Did he? Then what was all of this? Why was he so mean? Claudius had always thought it was Attila’s way of showing he cared, and he’d discussed it many times with his mother to try and understand it, but it still didn’t make sense. Why would his brother make him feel so bad if he really loved him?

“I’m not wasting… my li-i-ife he-e-e-re,” he corrected. He took a few more deep breaths to try and steady himself, but that only reminded him of the night he’d been held captive in the house. He had breathed then, too, to steady himself. He began to panic and dug his nails into his arms to try and calm himself down. It didn’t help.

“There are… thi-i-i-ings you do-on’t kno-o-w. I wa-a-a-anted to-o join… Dahlia… d-d-de… Mai-ai-ai-ha-ai,” he began. With pure concentration, perhaps he could stop the stutter. “When I got there… I found out… Conor had died… and it had… disbanded… in our… absence.” A slow pause, and: “he was our half-bro-hu-o-ther through our father.” No stutter – yet. “I wa-a-a-anted to know more… about him. But he died and… so… I-I… c-a-ame ba-ack… even though… Da-a-a-awali was… removed… I just wanted to help… Crimson… Dre-e-e-eams and wa-a-a-rn them but I wa-a-as captured.” He took another deep breath and scrunched his eyes shut and then continued. “He tie-ie-ied… me… up… I to-o-old him… everything… be-ca-a-a-use I… hate… this ne-e-e-w leader.” He paused, and then looked around, hoping spies weren’t listening. Shit, too late. “I’m not just… go-o-oing to… abandon… my home or Da-wa-a-ali… I belong here.”[html]

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