krystalkatzficz | The Wall part 13

Nino wanted to snap and fly off the handle and perhaps storm out of the room and away from the interfering man that seemed to be smiling like an idiot with relief. He was behaving almost as badly as Masaki would have done if he had known. The medicine was fast acting however and already he could feel the pain subsiding. He allowed himself to sigh pulling both his bandage and his shirt back on. Satoshi paid the doctor and then walked him to the door before coming back to sit on the char opposite him again.

“I’m sorry, you can keep glaring at me all you like but, it’s better to be safe than sorry…” Satoshi hummed brightly and Nino rolled his eyes touching at his side which; although was still humming, already felt much better and he was finding it easier to breathe and he mumbled;

“You’re like my brother; He’s annoying too, isn’t our time almost over?”

“Almost but I requested an extra five minutes, the guard agreed given that you needed treatment” Satoshi answered again and Nino found himself once again rolling his eyes slowly. He hadn’t given that impression the first time that they had spoken but it appeared that Satoshi had a lot more power on the inside than he could have ever thought. It was almost irritating if that were really the case though given that he hadn’t been able to use his power to get things changed for them even though he had been telling him how long he had been trying. “Is everything okay?”

“You’re rich, powerful, and well connected. You said that your god-mother was the Queen” He said slowly and Satoshi gave a nod his eyes still looking deeply apologetic as if he knew which way this conversation was going.

“Yes, that is correct”

“Then why haven’t you gotten anything changed for those of us on the other side of the wall? Why hasn’t the queen done anything?” He growled knowing that those in the slums outside the walls still praised the name of the woman on the phone, with most declaring her to be the best monarch to have ever been but, to Nino, it didn’t seem that she did more than feather her own nest. The rumour was that she lived in the centre of everything inside the wall. Women spoke of the beauty of her garden and the splendour of her palace although they had never seen it. Until now Nino had ignored the stories but now he felt anger inside at the idea of some dumpy woman sitting in luxury while her workers starved around her.

“The Queen is a figurehead monarch only, the powers that being her favourite allows me is superficial only. She does support my cause. As much as she is able without causing upset” Satoshi sighed softly looking at him with apologetic eyes “The real power is the parliament and they are resistant to change, but I admit that she could do more. And I have asked her many times to throw her support a little more into it. I think that you will be the best way to finally convince her…”

“Me? You expect me to meet the Queen?” Nino spluttered his eyes widening as his mouth opened and closed in shock and Satoshi gave a chuckle and a very small roll of his shoulders as h replied brightly;

“I think you and she will get on. She has a fantastic sense of humour when she wants…” A knock on the door caused him to stop talking and turn to look at it. Nino used the break to let out a breath his eyes moving over the man unable to believe that he had thought he was one of the most normal of the people at the selection. It seemed impossible to believe that he was beyond anything that he could have imagined. He was dressed simply after all with trousers and his jumper but it was clear now that there was more to him than met the eye. “The first of your gifts” Satoshi said breaking him out of his thoughts and Nino gasped loudly as he looked at the large box that had been placed in front of him. It was huge and wrapped with brown paper. He had discussed the gifts with his brother but he had never expected something as large as this.

“Wha-What is it?”

“You should open it and find out” Satoshi smiled and Nino chewed on his tongue as he did so pulling off the brown paper to reveal what appeared to be a large leather and wooden box. The corners were edged with ornate metal and there were embossed straps which kept the whole thing closed. “It’s a cold storage box. At least the lower half is. There is food and drinks inside while the top is filled with salt and spices plus another box that is filled with medicines. I have a list” Satoshi paused for a moment and then cleared his throat before continuing a little more delicately and asking “I didn’t ask but are you are able to read?”

“Better than Masaki can, almost as well as the foreman” Nino answered proudly thinking of the times when his mother had painstakingly sat at the table and taught him his letters. Those beyond the wall didn’t have much in the way of education only the ragamuffins and orphans got the right to schooling from the priest and orphanages that had been set up. His mother had been one of them and she had taught him and tried to teach Masaki all she knew. “My mum taught me, my letters”

“I see, she seems like an incredible woman…” Satoshi breathed and Nino nodded happy for the praise of his mother. Everybody had always thought that he was closer to his father and he supposed given all the training that he had had with the older man it was true but he had a special relationship with his mum and he missed her more than he could ever say.

“She was…So there is a list?”

“Yes, it tells you what to do with the medicines. I had a doctor write it out for you, I thought that you would be able to help those beyond the wall” Satoshi told him and Nino swallowed a tight lump that only grew bigger when Satoshi continued “I have decided that a part of my contract with you would be the promise of a doctor going outside once weekly to offer check-ups to those that need them and treatment”

“Funded by you?”

“Of course, though I am sure that I would be able to convince Sho and Jun and even the queen to participate” Satoshi told him confidently and Nino was left feeling increasingly more bewildered by the man in front of him and all he could manage to whisper was;

“Isn’t that a little much?”

“I don’t think so”

TBC
A/N: I hope that this is okay ^_^