Snippet #1753542

"T'was a small town the young family lived in. It was situated right at the base of a snow-capped mountain. The snow reflected the sun in such a lovely way..."

Alexander smirked to himself and set down the book on an end table beside him. It sounded much like the town he lived in in reality. The first snowfall of the season had blanketed the village with a thin layer of snow, however the sun wasn't shining today. Silver clouds covered the sky outside from one side of the horizon to another. It covered the mountain's peak and left his small town foggy. It was a peaceful afternoon of quiet with both of his brothers out of the house. It left Alexander craving for a hot stew or soup. He wondered what his mother would be making for dinner.

As if on queue, his mother, Elaine, entered the room with his younger brother Markus. He instinctively smiled politely at them, but Alexander's smile faded quickly. Alarmed, he stood from the wooden bench that they called a couch. They may not have been wealthy, but their father knew enough about carpentry to supply them with the basic furnishings. But at this time, that was besides the point.

"What's happened? Why does it look like you've been crying?" Alexander asked the two of them. Elaine coughed back a sob in her chest.
"It's your brother," Elaine's eyes grew glassy and watered over and down her cheeks. Alexander looked at Markus but he appeared to be fine. That left one brother, Thomas, who happened not to be in the room with them. Trying to calm Elaine, Alexander took the liquid of her tears from across the room and evaporated them so she wouldn't have to wipe them away. He did this whenever he saw someone crying but he never thought he would have to comfort his mother this way. She continued on, saying, "Markus watched a group of the king's soldiers take..." she swallowed hard, "take his life."

More tears welled over their mother's eyes. All Alexander could do is stare at Markus, wondering how he had managed to get away unharmed. He knew that Markus must have done everything he could have to help his brother escape from such a terrible fate, but all Alexander could think to feel was the pain of losing a brother. He knew that hearing the story would cause him more pain and grief than he'd ever felt, but he had to ask. How had he lost only one brother? How had Markus gotten away once Tommy was pronounced dead? "Tell me what happened," Alexander requested. He felt as though a large weight had been put on his shoulders, and he sat back down on the bench to try to relieve the new pressure.

(OOC: Let me know if Thomas is an okay name for the brother. It's the first name that came to mind that sounded like it could fit the name scheme for the brothers. xD)