All right! This is an idea I've had for an Amnesia Christmas oneshot for a while, and I've finally finished it! This was originally going to be about Daniel (though I may still write one about him), but then I decided that it suited Alexander much more. I got the idea from the Memory Capsules in the game, and with Christmas coming up, this story was born! I hope you all enjoy it, and let me know what you think! :)

DISCLAIMER: Only the Brandt family is mine. Everything else belongs to Frictional Games.

WARNING: There are The Dark Descent spoilers throughout this story.

December 24th, 1798…

Snow lashed against the high windows of Brennenburg, a fierce wind howling as the outside world appeared to become completely covered in white. It was nearly impossible to see what was going on in the forest, except for when the snow would slow down a little bit and fall steadily. For most people, it was a beautiful scene to look at, but not everyone shared the same sentiment.

Alexander von Brennenburg jumped as he suddenly heard a few quiet pops from somewhere behind him. He turned away from the window in time to catch one of his servants using a fire poker to push a few logs around in the fireplace to keep the flames burning for just a little bit longer. Sometimes, the castle became awfully chilly, which was one of the main reasons why Alexander did not care for winter. He preferred the spring and summer, where he could just fling the windows open and enjoy the warm breeze blowing across his face.

Once the servant in this room was finished with his work, he stepped back and just stared at his master, clearly waiting for the latter to give his next set of orders. That will be all, Alexander told him telepathically, Thank you.

Nodding, the servant silently exited the room, taking the scent of spices with him, and once he was gone, the Baron closed his eyes and ordered Wilhelm and the others to light the rest of the fireplaces as well. In the distance, he could hear them working on that task, and satisfied, he sat down in his favorite chair in the study, reached for a book on human anatomy, and opened it to the page he had last been reading.

For the next few hours, he sat that way undisturbed, turning each page as the fire continued to warm the room…until a loud chopping noise outside grabbed his attention.

Putting the book down, Alexander got up and crossed back over to the window, noticing that the snow had eased up significantly, though it didn't completely stop. The wind had quieted down as well, and it didn't hurt that his heightened senses allowed him to hear what was going on in the forest as well. After wiping the window with his hands, he noticed that one of the trees was swaying back and forth, shaking off snow as the chopping noise returned, making the Baron realize that someone must have been trying to cut one of the fir trees down.

Sure enough, Alexander spotted a man dressed in layers from head to toe as he repeatedly swung an axe at the tree trunk. He was standing right near the gate, doing his best to make sure the tree itself didn't end up falling on the iron structure. Why he had decided to travel so close to Brennenburg was a mystery, as most of the villagers liked to steer clear of the area, but it didn't matter.

The Baron left the study and moved to a room closer to the entrance of the castle so that he could get a better look at whoever was disturbing the peace. He recognized the man as Altstadt's resident carpenter, Sebastian Brandt, from the various times he had disguised himself and taken trips to the village. And apparently, he wasn't alone out here.

He watched as Sebastian tilted his head back, probably shouting "Timber!" as the tree he had been chopping finally fell, shaking the ground and kicking up snow in all directions. For a minute or two, there was silence, but distant, high-pitched cheering soon broke it, and Alexander watched as two children ran over to the tree and just stared at it excitedly.

One of them, a girl of about six years old, knelt down next to it and ran her small hands along the leaves, her brother joining her as their father reached for a few ropes to secure the tree as tightly as possible. He hoisted the rope over his shoulder as he prepared to drag it all the way back to the carriage they must have taken from Altstadt.

While he did that, the children ran over to someone else to show off their new tree, and the Baron leaned against the window, watching as a woman around her early to mid-thirties approached the others. He recognized her, too: she was Sebastian's wife, Wilhelmina, and once she nodded at the tree in approval, she smiled warmly at her children before wrapping her arm around her husband's waist and giving him a quick, chaste kiss on the lips. Words were exchanged, but the occasional gusts of wind made them impossible to hear.

For some reason, seeing this small display of affection irritated Alexander, and it took him all his self control not to order his servants to lock up the entire Brandt family in the prison beneath the castle. Perhaps he would have them imprisoned at some point in the future, but not today. He already had enough people down there to sustain his supply of Vitae for now.

Outside, Sebastian returned Wilhelmina's kiss before the whole family began heading back the way they had come, the married couple holding hands briefly before disappearing from Alexander's view. Once they were gone, he frowned as he turned around and headed back to his study so that he could continue reading. Although he considered himself to be someone who was very patient, one of his biggest pet peeves was being interrupted for any reason.

Along the way, a flash of blue and purple in the master bedroom caught his attention, and stopping in his tracks, the Baron turned to face the lone orchid that was perched right next to one of the windows. He had a whole garden of the exotic flowers a few floors below, but he always liked to keep at least one with him.

And it was upon staring at this orchid that Alexander suddenly felt a wave of emotions hit him that he hadn't felt in a long time. He didn't cry-after many years of practice, he'd taught himself how to rein in his emotions-but he couldn't ignore the pang in his chest as he stepped into the room and gently reached for the flower, holding it in his hands as he went to sit by the window. Although Wilhelm had lit the fireplace in here hours ago, Alexander still felt cold as he ran his fingers along the petals, admiring the vibrant colors as he suddenly recalled what day it was.

Christmas Eve.

He should have remembered that Christmas Day was approaching, just like it had every year for the past few centuries he had been living in Brennenburg, but he had been so caught up in his various studies that this time, it happened to slip his mind. It was probably why Sebastian, Wilhelmina, and their children had been out in the forest that morning; they were obviously looking for the perfect Christmas tree.

Alexander shook his head and glanced down at the orchid again. Christmas. Such a simple and confusing concept. Where he came from, that holiday didn't exist. There was no such thing as going to mass, decorating a tree, hanging stockings above a fireplace, and gathering around to spend the day with the rest of the family. Since the sixteenth century, the Baron had watched the holiday evolve in many different ways, but it still didn't explain why he was feeling increasingly bitter every time Christmas arrived.

He thought about the kiss he had witnessed earlier, the irritation returning as he clenched his hand that wasn't holding the orchid. Then he chided himself. He shouldn't have been feeling like this. Sebastian and Wilhelmina Brandt were only humans. All their kind was good for was helping him to sustain his life. They shouldn't have been able to evoke such strong emotions in the Baron, but they did.

Alexander wasn't one to get in touch with his emotions, but the longer he thought about it, the more he resented not only the Brandts, but all the people living in Altstadt. The Baron may not have understood why Christmas was so important to them, but he did know one thing: they all had each other. In previous years he had gone into town in a disguise, he had taken note of the way the families seemed to grow a little closer during the holiday season-between preparing large dinners, taking their children outside to play in the snow, and huddling by the fireplace to stay warm. In the later years, the atmosphere in Altstadt had become more optimistic, which only added to the villagers' excitement.

They would all exchange gifts and cherish the moments they had together, while Alexander would be stuck in Brennenberg for another year, alone.

No, that wasn't true. He had the servants and the prisoners to look after. Plus, Agrippa was still locked away in the Nave. But they weren't the company he wanted.

The early sixteenth century seemed so far away now, yet he could remember every detail of his arrival in this universe as if it was yesterday. He still didn't think he had done anything wrong at home: just a little bit of experimentation to find out the inner workings of his world, as well as life in general. He had been convinced that there was some sort of cosmic energy connected to life, and he had become determined to find out what it was. A few failed experiments and dead bodies later, he had been arrested and brought before the Council, who didn't take too long to bring him to trial and give him a sentence: banishment.

Alexander gripped the orchid a little tighter now as he had a flashback to the day the Council brought him to the portal. He was youthful then, the anguish of being trapped in an unfamiliar world not yet aging him. He remembered looking around at the neutral faces that surrounded him and thinking that none of them would miss him when he was gone.

Except for one.

He could still see the look on her face as she watched him walk right past her. Tears silently rolled down her cheeks, her green eyes wide as she clutched a blue and purple orchid in her hands. It was the same flower she had held in a bouquet on their wedding day-a reminder of happier times before Alexander was arrested.

The Baron felt his heart ache as he remembered what happened next. He had just been preparing to go through the portal when he suddenly heard a slight commotion behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder as his wife pushed her way through the crowd and made her way over to him. Draping her arms around his neck, she had given him a kiss, throwing all her emotions into it before pulling away and handing him the orchid. Something to remember her by, she had said as she slipped a couple of extra flower seeds in his pocket. She wasn't sure if he would find any of those wherever he was going.

Right before his departure, Alexander had leaned in to kiss her one last time, quietly promising that he would find a way to return to her as soon as possible. In turn, she had declared that she would wait for him as long as she needed to, and at the time, he thought he wouldn't be gone for more than a few years.

He never expected to be stuck in this other universe for centuries.

The snow outside began to pick up again, the wind also blowing fiercely once more as he returned to the present. The fire behind him continued to burn, but he paid it no mind as he set the orchid back where it was situated before. Even after all this time, it hadn't withered and died, which he was thankful for. It was the only thing he had from his home world, and more specifically, the only reminder of her.

As Alexander thought about the Brandt family's excursion again, he briefly wondered what his love would think of Christmas. She was adventurous like he was, so he imagined she would instantly immerse herself in the holiday spirit. She'd probably like the idea of having a Christmas tree in the castle, and he could easily picture the two of them chopping down a tree in the forest. Maybe they'd share a kiss in the snow like Sebastian and Wilhelmina had, and perhaps later, they'd sit by the fireplace, arms wrapped around each other with a blanket draped over them. She'd probably glance up at Alexander and flash him a smile as she flipped her long, dark brown hair over her shoulders. She might laugh at a joke that he's just told, cuddling even closer to him to keep warm.

All these images in the Baron's head made him silently curse Agrippa and Weyer. All three of them had studied the Orbs ages ago, only for the others to betray him by allowing Weyer to pass through the gate and not him. Alexander had trusted Agrippa, and the latter had let him down. It was something he was still bitter about, which only added to how he was already feeling as Christmas Day approached.

He wasn't sure why this particular year seemed to have more of an impact on him than the others, but he didn't care. All he knew was that at this point, he was ready to leave this universe. He had been stuck here for too long, and although he felt remorse for all the things he did to the prisoners, he was desperate. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand being in a world so much less advanced than his own, without the one he cared for the most by his side.

Another aspect of Christmas that the Baron had almost forgotten about was the tradition of exchanging gifts. No doubt all the families in Altstadt would be doing just that the next day. He had been around long enough to realize that the parents were mostly the ones asking their children what they wanted most, and at that young age, there were always so many frivolous answers: new toys, a new dress, new shoes, et cetera.

If someone were to ask Alexander von Brennenburg the same thing, his response would be quite different.

It was something he had wanted for as long as he could remember, and he sighed sadly as he pictured his wife once more, holding the same orchid he currently kept in his room as she laughed, smiled, and danced in his arms on their honeymoon.

He wanted to go home.

And more importantly, he wanted her.