"You, yes you, the big one, stop right there", one of the palace guards pointed at her.
Startled by his voice, she turned back and bowed to him. The guard looking at the medical equipment in her hands, asked her if she was a doctor.
"Yes, young sir. Our Uju is a very capable and talented one", replied one of Uju's acquaintances.
Listening upon this interruption, the palace guard sternly said:
"She can speak for herself, young lady!"
Uju reluctantly replied; "Yes, I am a doctor, sir."
"You may come with me at this instant young lady."
Uju was escorted along with her acquaintances to a small hut. Upon reaching the hut, the guard ordered Uju to enter alone with him, leaving Hari and Jonah behind.
Hari a bold and naive kid among them, asked the guard to not take her alone inside. Upon this she was stopped by Jonah to not interfere. The guard sighed and took Uju inside.
Hari smacked Jonah's head in her signature style.
"Ouch, you have hands made of stone you barbarian fox", Jonah whimpered with pain.
"Shut up Jonah. I am worried about Uju, why he took her alone inside. I mean he could've taken us with them inside. I hope she remains unharmed."
"Hey, she will be fine. I hope this is nothing serious. Stop being a nosy fox."
Hari nodded in silence and watched the anxiety in Jonah's eyes.
Uju upon entering the hut, found an unconscious man lying on the tiny mat on cold floor of the abandoned hut. The man was in the early 30's and was quite charming and well- dressed. The guard pointed towards him and asked Uju to check the young prince. Uju went near the prince and saw a tiny concussion on prince's forhead. She asked the guard about what happened to the young man. The guard told her that he was accompanying him to the nearby isolated tomb but he accidentally fell off the horse and hit his head.
Uju looked closely and opened one of her equipment boxes and pulled out some herbal medicine and bandages. When she was about to touch the prince to clean his wound, the guard said: "Stop right there. Don't touch his majesty."
Uju upon hearing this, said: " Then, how am I supposed to treat him without touching him."
"Just wear some thick gloves or cover your hands with some cloth. The prince refrained us from touching him directly with our hands."
Uju wore gloves and cleaned his wound and bandaged him. After treating the young prince, she removed her gloves and asked the guard that her work is done. Unfortunately when she was tiding herself and her equipment, Uju tripped over and fell on the ground. In doing so, her hand brushed over the prince's bare neck. The prince woke up with an alarming jerk. Uju noticed her nose is bleeding but the fall was not intense to give her the bleed. Their eyes met and the prince knew the second he woke up, that he ruined her future.