𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕎𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕃𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣. ⏱

12. The Wedding

Another month passed unnoticed...

They were running through the forest together.
Cornelius and Tarrant went for a little adventure. They were looking for the singing flowers Alice told them about. It was a beautiful, sunny day.

They ran by the rocky riverside, trying to find a way to cross it. The river was deep and treacherous. I wouldn't recommend walking in.

At one point Cornelius noticed a white figure, which emerged from the water. It looked like a child-sized ghost.
-Are my eyes don't deceiving me? Is it what I'm thinking it is? - He asked without slowing down. He had never seen anything like this, beyond his books.
-It's her! It's the Naiad we saved! - The Mad Hatter called and waved to the girl. The creature was floating on the surface of the water, keeping pace with them and laughing. She was happy to see them, as she recognized Tarrant as the one of her saviors from the sea.
She looked significantly at the Hatter, then at the other riverbank, encouraging him to cross it. Without a second thought he pulled the Doctor by his sleeve, like he was willing them to jump into the water.
-Hatter! - The man shouted, frightened, but then he realized it wasn't any joke.

The Naiad haven't tricked them. She let them cross the river dry-foot, holding the water in place, while they were running ahead. The men made it to the land, thanked the Naiad and moved on.

-You thought I was going to pull you in the river? - The Hatter laughed a bit while they were walking deeper into the forest. They needed to reach the magical meadows in order to find any flower.
-You would if you found it funny, you can't deny it! - Cornelius stated, amused.
-Alright, alright! I agree!
They both laughed.

Tarrant stretched out his arm and took Cornelius' hand. The Mad Hatter began to tell one of his dark and twisted and not-so-well-rhymed poems:

The little boy was a dreamer, always with his head in the clouds,
He never watched where he's going, trampling flowers and grass.

The flowers were crying, mourning their trodden friends,
They hated the boy and they wished he was dead.

The months were passing and it was about time,
to take steps and make the boy pay for every crime.

Oh the little boy, with his head in the sky,
Once he tripped on a flower, hit his head and finally died.

-You freak me out, sometimes. - Cornelius nudged him in the shoulder.
-Must be because of my Highland blood! - Tarrant laughed. -Why have you never told me about your roots? - He asked. - I know you were an orphan, were never adopted and so on, but…Where are your biological parents from?
-I'm sorry, Tarrant. I think I was embarrassed to tell you.
-Soon I'm going to be your husband, why would you ever be embarrassed to tell me? You can tell me literally anything! If it's too hard for you to speak about them, I would like to know why. I don't want to make it up in my head and speculate.

The Doctor started to tell his story.
-Our mother was from Alice's world. I heard it's much bigger than ours. The great emigration made her leave her country occupied by other nations. She ran away to Underland and met our father. She got pregnant, had us…and that's all I know. There was also a man who raised us to the age of twelve, but he never was a father to me and Cornwallis. Reportedly he had a debt to my father…he took us in order to pay the said debt off. He treated us like we were his servants.
-I'm so sorry to hear that, Nel! …Now I feel guilty that I ever asked about it! - Tarrant squeezed his hand.
-Don't worry! I got over it. I had to. That's why it was so important to me to get a proper education and prove my worth. I worked so hard for it.
-You don't have to prove anything to anyone, especially me! I would love you whether you would be a crazy scientist or not. Look at me, I'm just an poorly-educated craftsman from a small village and still… you chose me.
-You meant 'the best craftsman'! ...And you underestimate how clever you are! And yes, I have to admit...I was pleased to find out that I chose the most handsome one of the brothers.