THE GARDEN WHICH the strange man spoke of was hidden behind a grove of cherry blossom trees. Beyond the pink-scattered leaves came a dazzling light that was emitted by flickering lamps that were lit along the footpath, illuminating their way like will-o'-the-wisps. They were dainty little lights that danced when the wind blew a little too strongly, swaying with personality.
"Wow…" Alice gasped in awe, taking a step forward.
Even the floor was littered with a bed of soft pink, the blushing hue covering up every inch of the green grass beneath. Each branch reached high for the heavens, sturdy trunks that stood towering over their human visitors by tenfold. Once she had stepped into the forest of blossoms, a fresh wave of perfumed air enveloped her. Even plain air tasted sweet on her tongue, a sugary sensation that felt like cotton candy melting in her mouth.
"They look like snow," she commented under her breath, completely lost in her own world.
Alice had momentarily forgotten about the strange man that stood behind her, watching with his own rising curiosity. She had even forgotten that to have cherry blossoms in the summer months was a miracle in itself. The timeline of it all was wrong, a huge contrast to whatever knowledge she had gained in her original reality. In this strange world, flowers were in bloom all the time.
The petals descended from the trees' branches like snowflakes that were tinted pink, swirling around them with the aid of the wind before landing right by their feet. Each step only kicked up more flowers, inciting the bath of fragrances to make their mark.
However, what was beautifully breathtaking about the garden wasn't just the cherry blossom trees. What was equally as jaw-dropping about the garden was the main spectacle: a whole sprawling land filled to the brim with roses of every kind and color.
Immediately, a burst of floral and fruity sweet perfumes hit Alice like a tidal wave. Her eyes widened drastically, breath caught in her throat as she stumbled a few steps forward. The world before her was a myriad of colors, a sea of rainbows that had been gathered right in front of her very eyes. While the trail was surrounded by bushes of colorful roses, the path eventually led to a small body of water, followed by a garden that was sharply split into two. The stream first separated the colorful roses away from the latter half of the garden. Then, the back portion was further divided into two, creating three separate sections that were connected only by bridges.
On both sides of the latter half of the garden were grand, circular gazebos, one on each side. On the right side, the wood was painted white, decorated with blood-red tiles that resembled the roses that surrounded the structure and finished with golden vines that were painted onto the columns that supported the roof. In that particular section, only red roses could be found.
As Alice made her way onto the bridge, standing in the dead center of the dark wood just to observe both sides of the latter garden, she noticed that the railings that led towards the right side were also painted in red. The carvings of vines of the roses on the railings were carved into decorative hearts as it led to the shore.
On the other side, the left, the gazebo that stood in the center of that section was constructed in wood that was painted black. The roof tiles were navy in color and the columns were decorated with thorny vines that were drawn on with silver paint. It was surrounded by white roses, a stark contrast to the red rose section on the right. While the railings that led to the right side were red, the railings towards the left were in white. The wooden railing was carved out to resemble the thorny vines of roses, curling ominously as it led to the shore.
"What a beautiful landscape," Alice commented under her breath in awe, her eyes glued to the beautiful effort spent in decorating what was surely a once-empty garden.
"It is, isn't it?"
A little startled by the voice, Alice jumped. She had totally forgotten about the strange man that had accompanied her to the gardens. She turned back, watching as his lips, which were once cruel and unforgiving, curved into a soft, fond smile. The color of his eyes was no longer a frosty blue. Now, they resembled the skies that stretched on into a million possibilities.
"My mother was hired to decorate the garden once upon a time, before she met my father."
"She did a beautiful job with it." Resting a hand on the railing right in the dead center where white met red, Alice sighed. "I don't think I've ever seen anything else that can quite match."
"Yeah…" He trailed off, staring longingly at the red roses. "She did. But sometimes, I wish she hadn't accepted the job."
Even behind a mask, Alice could tell that the man's eyes were distant. His words were spoken so softly that Alice might've missed it if it weren't for how closely they were standing next to each other. That made her think that perhaps those words of his weren't meant for her to hear at all. Thus, she smartly kept her lips glued shut, no words to voice her reply.
It wasn't before long when a voice started to call for Alice's name. At first, the voice was distant, completely covered by the sound of the music that drifted from the ballroom and leaked into the gardens. However, as time went on, the voice started to grow louder and more urgent. It finally caught her attention, forcing her to spin on her heel in search of the person who was calling her name.
"Alice!"
There it was again. That voice, one she was familiar with.
"What's wrong?" The man asked, noticing her frenzy.
"Someone's calling me. I think it's…"
'My mom,' she wanted to continue. However, the next time she heard that voice, it changed from a woman's to a man's.
"Alice?"
From behind the grove of cherry blossom trees, a familiar white head popped out. Even from a distance away, Alice could recognize Wyatt's striking white hair, glistening under the silver moonlight that the first snow of winter. He caught sight of her just as soon as she did, quickly hurrying his way through the beautiful sea of flowers without stopping even once to admire the view. When he reached the bridge that led to the two separate sections, he stopped short, eyeing the man that stood slightly behind Alice in surprise.
"Your—" Wyatt shut his lips just as quickly as he had parted them, eyes widening in shock before relaxing again. A ghost of a smile curved his lip just the slightest. Smoothly, he looked back at Alice, beaming brightly. "You're going to be late. We have to be going soon. It's almost our turn to greet the royal family."
"Oh!" Stumbling forward, Alice held the skirt of her dress so that she wouldn't accidentally trip over the fabric and fall over. "I must've lost track of time."
"That you did," Wyatt echoed. "Come along now."
With the strange man whose invitation she had accepted completely forgotten, Alice was soon led away by Wyatt. She hadn't even had the chance to turn back for one last glance before she was dragged out of the gardens and back to the other side of the cherry blossom grove. The sea of roses disappeared behind the pink petal curtains, returning Alice to a world where the orchestra playing in the ball was louder than the music conducted by nature through the rustling of leaves and the swaying of flowers.