Subtle Differences | Junhao oneshots

The uncanny encounter

In which an innocent healer witnesses an execution.

     Blue Coral Seaweed? Check. Leaves from a bonsai tree? Check. Rosewood oil? Check. Seaflower petals? Uncheck. Minghao inhaled a deep breath. He was this close to chucking his entire basket full of ingredients into the bush nearby. He turned around to study it again. Yeah, probably not a good idea. That's a poison ivy plant. He thought better of his decision and continued down the winding path back to the healer's shop. 

     If you lived in Holder's Village, you'd probably have heard of Minghao. After all, he was one of the only healers in the town. He was also one of the only ones who could brew medicine that actually works. People of the town who were ill flanked straight to his healer shop, and miraculously, they'd come out as healthy as ever. Despite his reputation of healing almost everyone and every thing, a recent mysterious cough that spread like wildfire through the town weeks ago had put his skills to shame. Just recently, he had discovered the four ingredients he was currently trying to collect could create a cure for this cough. It was still in need of further testing, but he was hopeful it could stop the cough from taking more lives than it should have. Yet, finding these plants was a whole other story. 

     Seaflower petals, the only ingredient left on his list, was said to grow especially well in the Hunter, a forest famous for being the cause of many disappearances. On the contrary to its name, Seaflower petals were very much not grown in the waters. Thank god for that, Minghao thought. He urged himself down the dirt path. Tall trees and many other species of unique plants filled either sides of it, blocking the light from the sun. He trudged through the forest, swearing at every sharp branch that tore through his clothes. 

     A bush of light yellow flowers in the corner of his eyes caught his attention. He gasped softly. Seaflowers. Minghao crouched down and picked each flower delicately. It wouldn't do to have them crushed and spoilt even before making it back to the shop. Suddenly, a sharp voice travelled through the forest.  

     "Trying to get away with robbery now, are you? Guards, restrain him." A flurry of noises made its way to Minghao, as well as yelps from another man. Minghao could tell by the posh accent that the voices most likely came from the richer towns of the country. Maybe even royalty. Still, the healer's curiosity got the better of him and he tiptoed precariously closer, careful not to step on anything that would alert them to his presence. He ducked behind a huge oak tree, and peeped his head out to watch the scene unfolding. A cry lodged in Minghao's throat. There was a man, adorned in old and torn clothing kneeling on the floor with two guards wearing the royal crest holding him in place. Another guard was wielding an axe. A large axe. And in front of them, stood a tall man with light brown eyes that was cold. Unforgiving. Minghao could recognise his clothing anywhere.

     Standing in the Hunter's forest was the prince. Prince Wen Junhui.

     "For attempted robbery, and attempted murder, you will need to face severe punishment. Guard, you may behead him." Wait. What? Minghao was just about to jump out from his hiding place to stop the guard, but it was too late. As he stepped into the prince's sight, arms thrown out, blood splattered onto his clothes. A single head rolled to Minghao's feet. He screamed in terror. His breath turned ragged. 

     "Who are you? Why are you here?" Junhui questioned lazily. He was used to seeing heads roll. He was also used to people screaming when they see heads rolling. If he was being honest, he didn't really care either way. 

      "You... You killed him. Why did you kill him?" Minghao managed to sputter out. He hesitated. "Your highness." Junhui raised an eyebrow. Now this. This he found intriguing. Not many people dared to question him back. And instead of feeling annoyed, he thought the situation to be rather interesting. 

     Junhui shrugged. "He tried to rob me. Kill me. And so I killed him." 

     Minghao couldn't believe what he just heard and saw. Well, at least now he understood the reason for the execution. He was amazed at how the prince could remain so stoic and unfazed even after someone tried murdering him. After he murdered someone else. "Are you going to answer my questions, then?" Minghao took a second to comprehend that he was now speaking to the Prince. Brother to the king. 

     "I... I'm Minghao. Xu Minghao. I'm a healer in Holder's Village. I was just looking for ingredients for the cure to the cough that's been plaguing the town." He responded. Junhui's head snapped in Minghao's direction. A cure? He didn't know that there was a cure to the cough. 

     "A cure, you say?" Minghao nodded violently. "Well, that's something that could be very helpful to this country indeed. Would you be interested in bringing your findings to the kingdom, Mr Xu? My brother would be interested in helping you with the cure should you wish us to." Junhui said nonchantly. Minghao almost fell over from shock. The prince was inviting him to a meeting with the king?

     "I... I.. I'll have to think about it, your highness." Minghao cursed himself. What was there even to think about? Junhui smiled for a brief moment. 

     "Guards, please go back to the carriage. I need to speak with Mr Xu privately for a little longer." The guards looked at each other, as if contemplating whether they could leave the prince alone with a stranger in the forest. "Leave." The prince's voice was commanding now. A few seconds later, the forest was cleared of everyone except Junhui and Minghao. 

     Minghao sucked in a breath as the prince stepped closer. "Please don't kill me." Minghao squeaked when there was only a foot of space left between them. The prince was much taller than he expected, nearly a head taller than him. To his utter surprise, a laugh came out of the prince. It dripped with honey-like warmth. Minghao shook his head to clear his mind of the random thoughts.

     "Kill you? Whatever would I do that for?" Junhui asked genuinely after his laughing fit. Minghao glanced pointedly down at the head on the ground. It was only a few metres away from them. Junhui looked down, then straight into Minghao's eyes. 

     "Oh. Fair point. I try not to make it a habit to kill innocent strangers. Cute innocent strangers, especially." Junhui winked. Minghao's felt his face flush, and his eyes widened. Did he just- 

     "Mr Xu, I do sincerely apologise for beheading the man in front of you. You should not have seen that. It was highly inappropriate of me. Please accept these coins as a token of my apology." Junhui said without giving Minghao a moment to respond. He pulled a handful of gold coins from his pouch. That nearly swept Minghao off his feet. The prince clearly had no idea the chaos the village would be in for that amount of money. 

     "Your highness, with all due respect, I can't possibly accept that!" 

     "Oh, but you can. In fact, I insist that you do. Take it as a reward for the cure." Minghao was speechless. He hadn't even agreed to the meeting yet. His cheeks reddened as the prince's soft hand held his own, placing the coins in his palm.

     "I will see you in the palace in a week, won't I?"

     "You... you will, your highness."

     "Splendid. Have a good day, Mr Xu." Junhui turned around. He walked a few steps, and Minghao was just about ready to jump off a cliff, when Junhui called to him without turning back.

     "I look forward to seeing you again... Minghao."

~lily<3vely