You make things worse if you try to make unequal things equal.

If I succeed, there will be no inequality.

LoG, 21

Nalina was sitting on her soft, colossal bed wearing an anxious expression on her face. Her two servants in the tight beige suits were already there. They ruthlessly stuffed a variety of clothes into her large leather luggage.

"I don't like that dress very much ..." she lifted her finger to interject but it was all in vain.

There is no discussion with them. It's like I am talking to the wall. I won't achieve a thing, Nalina sighed.

Bunch of clothes from her closet somehow found the way to the suitcase, and Nalina admired their skill.

How are they transferring an entire wardrobe into one travelling bag? She wondered. Nalina could never do that. She would always throw rumpled clothes one on top of the other.

"Like on a dead horse", as mum... Mother would say.

The scene reminded Nalina of what had transpired in The Kitchens, earlier that Light. There, she had been protesting while old Magda and Miro were stuffing a bunch of dried meat, fruits and vegetables in the baskets. They had insisted that she took everything with her.

It is as if everyone conspires against me. They are forcing me to bring three to four times more food and clothing than I need, Nalina sulked. And nobody pays attention to what I want.

At first, she tried to take part in preparing of her luggage. She was interestedly running from one girl to another. Still, after a while, Nalina realised that it was a futile attempt doomed to fail.

It would be a good idea to throw in a couple of wide pants and shirts, just in case. Since they are already transporting a wardrobe into a bag that is. If Anilan decides to make an appearance, it will come in handy; she smiled inwardly at this inappropriate joke. Eh, what can you do. When something is challenging, it's best to accept it with a smile. If the situation turns out bad, I'll be sad on top of it; it would be double trouble.

Nalina reached the old wooden table and pulled out her beloved notebook. "Hi, honey! Who's my beauty? Will you also travel with me? You will, won't you?" Nalina prattled tenderly to her leather-bound treasure. She was looking forward to the days she would spend in the carriage, writing new properties of herbs on yellowish paper.

She covered her mouth, suddenly aware that the servant girls were staring at her, stunned.

Oh, why do I always forget myself like this? Well, at least I'll give them some gossip material.

Finally, the servants filled the luggage with all the things they deemed necessary. The girls withdrew, leaving Nalina alone with her thoughts.

A guard entered her bedchamber and formally announced: "Your family is waiting for you in the main hall to say goodbye to you, Your Highness."

Nalina nodded absently, twiddling her thumbs. Soon enough, she left her sleeping chamber. She followed the map of The Mushroom in her mind, trying to remember where The Castle Hall was.

Nalina really wanted to go on that trip. At the same time, it terrified her to do so.

Perhaps I should have gone sooner. Fortunately, our cities are not so far away. Only seven Lights away, I think. Mother managed to talk to Fedum over The ViewWall once again and he ... He's expecting me. He's ready to negotiate. I want to stop the war. I should offer the people of Begi our water.

What if I'm leaving just when I am needed the most? Dad is on the verge of death, and what happened two Lights ago in The Arena ... Nalina shook at the thought of grey birds with red eyes.

Luckily, nobody was hurt. But ... What ... What were those birds looking for? And why did they paralyse the poor people with those red beams of light? The Mind sent them; that must be it. But what did The Mind want from us? There were so many questions in Nalina's brain that required answers that she thought her head might explode.

I can't think about it now. I'll think about it later. Oh. The Castle Hall. I'm here already.

Nalina stood still at the heavy wooden door. She took a deep sigh, gathering strength for what was waiting for her in there. As soon as she stepped through the doorway, one Vigil blew into the horn and shouted: "Her Majesty, Princess Nalina!" The sound was so so loud Nalina could hardly resist the need to clasp her ears with both hands.

Sobik is so lucky that he is deaf so he can't hear this. Oh, but what am I saying? He would give everything to be able to hear again! Nalina felt ashamed of her thought. She came close to her family members.

The mother approached her and pressed a dry, cold kiss on her forehead. "Safe travels, my daughter. You are the hope of the entire City of Lagad. See that it doesn't come to The Second Water War. As a gift for your diplomatic mission, I give you this ViewStone. So you will always know what time of The Light and The Dark it is."

"A ViewStone? Only for me? Oh, thank you, Mother!" Nalina jumped up in joy, almost embracing the Queen. At the last moment Nalina remembered such behaviour wasn't fitting to a princess, so she just dropped a warm kiss on her mother's cheek.

Next was Miglena, still obese, in one of her trademark pink dresses. Her older sister was snivelling and wiping her tears with a little handkerchief.

Oh no! How could I have been so silly! I should have just snuck into Miglena's bedchamber and got some of her dresses! They are certainly ample enough for Anilan! Nalina almost slapped her forehead.

"Good luck, sister. If you can, say hello to Fedum and ... Tell him ..." she broke into sobs and ran out of the hall.

"Miglena yet hopes that they can remake an arranged marriage. These days, she's so upset. The poor girl hasn't been herself lately. Don't think about it, focus on your journey that lies ahead," the Queen added.

Borna stepped out of the shadows next, baring his teeth. "My dear sister. No matter how much I disagree with your method and I believe we should not hand our water so lightly to Begi as a peace offer ... I shall play nice and follow my mother's advice. In return, mother promised that if ... The Leader of Begi ignores our benevolence ... She would be ready to try things my way." Borna's eyes flickered.

"Let's hope that won't happen," Nalina said.

"Yes ... Let us hope so ..." Borna echoed and added: "As a sign of my goodwill, I readied the ten most skilled Vigils and their War Dogs to travel with you to the diplomatic mission. They will protect you from anything that might occur to you during your journey." Borna clapped his hands. Five fully armed men and five fully armed women entered the hall, along with their ten War Dogs. They all marched up to Nalina and surrounded her. She felt a little uneasy.

The Queen shed tears of joy upon hearing those words. "Thank Borna, Nalina, don't you see how attentive he is? Now this is a worthy gift and a proof of brotherly love," Gospava said, frowning, as Nalina still didn't respond.

"Yes, thank you, Borna," Nalina replied, absently caressing the head of an unmoving sand-coloured dog. She adored those noble, beautiful animals.

Borna approached and kissed her on the cheek. His beard uncomfortably scratched Nalina's skin, and she cringed.

"And where is Sobik?" Nalina's mouth dissolved in a smile. She was looking for the brother who looked most like her among the present family members. "I would love to say goodbye to him, too."

She didn't have to wait long. She felt him fiercely embrace her. His body was giving away protective heat. The way her brother was holding Nalina close to his heart, showed her just how much he loved her. She knew Sobik only wanted good for her. That he hoped that her journey would be safe. Nalina was aware of it all without him having to say a single word. She wanted Sobik never to let her out of that firm bear hug. She had always felt safe in his embrace.

Sobik finally let go of her. Then he waved a rustling piece of paper in front of Nalina's face.

"For me?" she asked.

Oh, I just love these unexpected small gifts that show that the person cares about me! Too bad I don't receive them often.

Nalina exclaimed with enthusiasm when she saw what Sobik had done for her. "Oh, my Mind! Is that The ... Geyser?"

It was indeed a very credible paper figurine of The Geyser: the waterfall that had recently been looming over The Mushroom.

Nalina felt a weird emotion slithering along her stomach. It was a mixture of fear and tension; she wasn't quite able to place it. Still, she ultimately took the gift – a symbol of the journey she was just about to undertake. "I like it. A lot. I really do." she smiled. "It looks so much like the original! Incredible."

There was a mild disdain on the faces of her mum and Borna, Nalina noticed.

They must think it's a stupid present. No matter. I like it very much. Sobik made it especially for me! Nalina placed The Geyser paper figurine in the front pocket of her dress. She was resolved never to lose it.

"It's time," the Queen said.

The entire family, except Miglena, moved towards The Escalator. They descended in silence. That was always unpleasant to Nalina and made her feel confused.

She chattered to break the tension. "Mother, how about we suggest The Etchers work harder on that transportation Etching? In that way, we wouldn't have to spend strings of The Light and The Dark in the carriages along dusty roads. Seeing how they had already made The ViewWall, The ViewStones, and oh! Those Curatory Goggles for detecting the disease ..."

Her mother interrupted her, raising her hand to the air. "The Etchers are sufficiently busy with other things, child. As we speak, they are trying to find out what the appearance of those ... scary birds meant. They may have to contact The Mind to discover the true nature of that act."

"The Etchers can communicate with The Mind? They found a way?" Nalina was astonished. "I thought ... If anyone did it ... It was The Men of Cloth."

"Of course not," Gospava said, impatient. "The Men of Cloth are missionaries and nothing else. They turn people towards The Faith of The Mind. They also praise The Fount, but The Mind doesn't address them. He speaks to the representatives of the Five Nations. Lagad, Begi, Lug, The Mountain Men and The Reka. Don't think about it. Focus on this mission. We shall talk about everything else when you come back."

The Escalator touched the ground. The familiar outline of the carriage, built only for her, was waiting for Nalina. A giant, well-polished barrel was already on the closed roof of the carriage, beside the suitcase full of Nalina's clothes. Tightly bound smaller barrels were filled with a wide variety of foods for Nalina and for The Vigils that were to follow her.

Pulling the carriage, was a well-known thick, transparent silver-winged snake. Its eye flashed as a sign of recognition. It was as if Grogmog was asking Nalina: You again?

Nalina was asking herself the very same question. What is Grogmog doing here?

"Will I go with Grogmog to Begi?" She said cautiously. Nalina reached out to the animal and lightly touched its back. The serpent shuddered.

Borna approached Nalina and embraced her. "Dear sister ... Is there a better reminder of our City's fame than the trophy won in The First Water War? Why not appear in front of them flashing all our might? Surely nobody in Begi has ever even seen a water snake."

"That's right," Nalina replied, acknowledging his reasoning. "But still ... How will all these people keep up with Grogmog's pace? I mean, The Vigils and The War Dogs can't fly."

"Grogmog will not fly. You will have a special lackey for him, who will make him slither on the ground. The snake will follow the same rhythm as your ten Vigils and their War Dogs. I'm practically sending you with twenty people; you can't complain." Borna laughed triumphantly. "The War Dog is as worthy as his Vigil. Together, they are a well practised fighting machine."

"I'm not sure that Grogmog will like to slither on the ground for such a long time, dragging a carriage. He ... I think he likes to use wings more," Nalina underlined. She was now standing in front of the already open carriage door.

"Who cares what he likes? He's just a stupid animal, trapped and made to serve you," her brother snapped in disdain.

"I disagree," Nalina retorted stubbornly, but she did not want to anger him further. "I'll find a solution. We can always rest somewhat more often. We can travel by The Light only. When The Dark falls, we make camp," Nalina said in a firmer voice.

Then she settled on a soft seat. The leather bag and the faithful notebook already waited for her. With awe, Nalina pulled a paper representation of The Geyser out of the front pocket of the dress. She placed it in the bag along with the water flask.

Five Vigils with spears lined up on Nalina's left, while the other five lined up on her right. Nalina noticed that they also carried various types of bows and slings. Their War Dogs were glued to their thighs, waiting for a sign.

The small, chubby lackey accommodated on the seat. He grabbed the whip and struck Grogmog. The snake hissed in protest but moved nevertheless. Grogmog was now slithering fast on the ground, more swiftly than Nalina thought possible. The carriage leaned forward.

Nalina turned around once more before she opened the notebook. She stared at the now barely recognisable faces of her mother and two brothers. The dust quickly swallowed them. Then Nalina sighed and began to read.