"Thank you, miss! Bye bye!"
"Goodbye! Take your medicine, now!"
"See you soon, Miss Shirayuki!"
"Okay, feel better Yoshi!" Shirayuki called cheerfully, leaning back to see her patient heading out the door around the repurposed bar covered in medical instruments and bottles of ointments and herbs. "Thank you for your patience. You're still waiting for your medicine, right Kino?" she continued, turning towards the elderly woman seated against the wall and feeling her long hair swinging against her back.
"Yes, but please, take your time. I just stopped by to let my eyes rest on your beautiful hair; I've never seen anything so extraordinary," the woman beamed back.
"That's so sweet, thank you," Shirayuki laughed gently, rummaging through her shelves. She'd kept refining her organizational system since Zen and Mitsuhide first helped her out it together two years ago, accommodating new herbs and remedies as she learned how to use and make them. "But since I already have you here, I'll start preparing another remedy. I found some good medicinal herbs, so please, take some with you." She was debating which of two herbs would be better for her to use in Kino's medicine when she heard her client beginning to break down in tears. "Kino?"
"You have turned into a very fine young herbalist! If only your late grandparents could see this," the woman wept. "They would be beaming with pride!"
"Oh no, Kino, please don't-"
"Oh my goodness I believe I left the stove on; I must go!" Kino cried suddenly, springing to her feet with unexpected agility for one of her age.
"Wh-"
"Oh dear silly me…" she giggled on her way out the door.
"I guess I can just take it to her later," Shirayuki smiled, shaking her head as she turned back to the shelves. The smile widened as she heard the door open once more, and she chuckled and glanced over her shoulder as she asked, "Did you forget something?"
Only, the person standing in her doorway most certainly wasn't Kino. He was a tall man with black hair and equally black eyes, his skin pale and his expression cold and severe. Shirayuki blinked in surprise as she recognized his clothing as the uniform of the Shenazard Castle garrison. What was a soldier doing here? Did he need a physical? "Um, can I help you?" the young herbalist asked cautiously, setting down the bottle she'd been holding and wiping her hands on her apron as she stepped around the counter.
"Red hair. Are you Shirayuki?" the man asked without preamble, his cold expression never changing.
"Er, yes?" the young woman replied, really not liking his tone.
"I am here on behalf of the First Prince of Tanbarun, Raj Shenazard. He has heard of the beauty of your red hair and desires you at his side as his concubine."
Shirayuki stared blankly at the man. He couldn't be serious. She must have misheard him, right? "You said Prince Raj's… concubine?" she repeated, a disbelieving smile quirking at her lips.
"Yes. In other words you would be his mistress," the soldier leered back.
"Absurd! I can't believe that he'd be interested in me just because of the color of my hair!" the young herbalist blurted before she could stop herself. Then, in an attempt to appeal to something Prince Raj would be more likely to understand, "I'm just a commoner! I'd be an embarrassment to him!"
"Still, the Prince has taken a liking to you. Therefore, you are required to formally appear at the Castle tomorrow morning," the soldier replied, marching forward and forcing Shirayuki to retreat until she stumbled into the medicine counter on the other side of the room. His hand fell to the sword at his waist in an obvious threat as he continued in the same monotone voice, "I suggest you look presentable." Then the man turned on his heel and marched out of the room without another word, leaving the young woman staring after him in something akin to horror.
Shirayuki went about the rest of her day in a daze. She continued to work, to prepare and prescribe medicines as normal, but her heart wasn't in it the same way that it usually was. Her patients noticed and responded, their voices more subdued and their gazes more questioning than usual. It was actually a relief when the evening bell rang and she could close the shop, lock the door and sit down to mull over her situation.
Raj Shenazard, the First Prince of Tanbarun wanted her as a concubine. She couldn't just refuse outright; they'd just force her into his harem whether she wanted to be there or not. Or kill her. She would have to leave. Leave the shop, Shenazard City, and probably even Tanbarun behind. The thought of leaving behind her grandparents' gravesite nearly broke her heart, but she knew that they would never ask her to stay if it meant risking her safety. She had to leave, and she would likely never return home again.
As the bleak view of her future shrouded her thoughts, Shirayuki found her eyes drifting to a letter sitting on the counter, still sealed with blue wax imprinted with the winged diamond seal, waiting patiently to be read.
'If you ever want it, you'll always have a home in Clarines.'
The shadows in her mind seemed to clear away in an instant, and a small smile curled Shirayuki's lips as a newfound determination solidified in her heart. Rising to her feet, she turned to survey the room, retying her apron strings a bit more securely around her waist. She had a lot to do if she wanted to be ready to leave before dawn tomorrow.