I woke up the next week to a sunny day. I waved goodbye to my mother – Basch had already gone to train to weapon handling with some of his friends – and met Naria halfway through the forest. We rode Book again to the capital. On the way, the weather changed to a slight rain shower without it being a disturbance. We reached Kalthof by the end of the morning, and introduced ourselves to people coming out of the GP building. Shortly after, they called Mr Czarodziejski and he asked us to wait outside.

Naria was strangely relaxed. She certainly had appreciated that the man didn't make a big deal about her illiteracy. A big smile was shining on her face and she had worn her comfy dress. I also didn't bother much about my clothing. I never did anyway.

'Sorry for the delay! Here I am, young GP members!'

I raised my head and… probably met the most eccentric person I've seen in my life.

She was a rather short woman with rectangular glasses. She was wearing a light green mid-sized skirt with a long dark green suit jacket, put over pink shirt and gloves. Her circular head was surrounded by forest-like orange hair, so messy that I couldn't even tell if they're normally curly or straight. In the middle, a white rose has been placed on the left side. After observing her in surprise, I took a look at Naria's face. She was simply captivated. She said – her voice not even able to come out of her throat properly – :

'Are you… Are you Greta Pfirsich?'

The woman then let appear what was certainly her biggest campaign weapon: a giant smile that covered half of her wrinkled face.

'Yes, that's me. I am very pleased to make your acquaintance.'

'I am Nareszcie Olszewska! And this is Noah Fon Ronsenburg!'

She turned her head towards me, without the smile.

'I have heard of you both. Please follow me, we will be more at ease inside.'

We obeyed and arrived at a giant meeting room on the same floor. Flowers were decorating it everywhere; the chairs were green and even the chimney was.

I was afraid of what was to happen.

'First of all, may I congratulate you, Miss Olszewska, for your courage? It's the first time I've ever received a new political activist this way. Usually we recruit from local meetings. Not to mention your young age! Really, you surprised me.'

I had the slight feeling I didn't exist.

'N… No, it's… nothing!' Naria said. 'It's been years I hear of your movement and I wanted to join. I'm so happy I met you… No one can imagine! And please… please call me Naria!'

'Then it's settled, Naria', Gretel Pfirsich said. 'You are officially a member of Green Progress. I will make sure your member card is sent to Uwielbinie!'

Naria's eyes were glowing like stars. I just realized she hadn't shut her mouth since we were outside. She closed her fists and took a winner pose. How could she be so relaxed in moments like these?

'And, oh, I see you brought a legal adviser with you. Right, Mr. Ronsenburg?'

'I'm… I'm Noah', I said. 'I thought of it and truly believe it will be a good experience for me to help you on this campaign.'

'Good, Noah. I think you can knock on Danek's door; his office is in front of this room. He is in charge of the Party's law proposals. I suggest you ask him the date of the next brainstorming session, so you can see how we work. In the meantime, he'll certainly have something for you to read.'

It took me several seconds before I understood her wide smile was an invitation to leave. I thanked her and moved towards the door. But as I was walking, I could still hear the conversation:

'As for you, Naria, you understand you cannot begin working with us today.'

'I also thought much about it, and I'm ready to do anything I can to overcome this and become helpful! Anything!'

Then I reached the door, and it became rude to stay any longer beside it.

I spent the afternoon in Danek's (his full name being Danek T. Eichhörnchen) office. He informed me that the brainstorming session was the following week, in Waldgott – that would be a good opportunity to pay my old friends a visit. Then he gave me a list of thirty themes around which the Party intended to make law proposals. I spent several hours thinking about how to enunciate these laws, make them plausible with the current legal context, and – the weirdest part – make them attractive. I love law, but how can a text be attractive? After speaking with Danek, he had told me that it meant that most people could relate to it. That gave me food for thought.

At the end of the day, as I was joining Naria outside of the big building, I was curious to see her reaction to whatever her idol had told her.

'Let's go', she said, without even taking a look in my direction.

I followed her on the chocobo and we began our way back. I had so much to tell her, but she never began talking, so I ended up not saying anything. Actually, I did want to find the courage to initiate the conversation myself, for many reasons. First, I liked her more with each passing day, but of course, that was the last thing I wanted to speak about. Then, I wanted to break the ice and ask her what decision had been taken to compensate the fact that she was unable to write – after all, she was the one truly involved in the Party, not I. And last but not least, I would have loved to thank her from the bottom of my heart, for everything we've been through together, and especially this opportunity to work on practical law-related tasks, which I certainly would never have found alone. As we reached the farm and she dismounted Book, I cleared my throat and eventually chose the second option.

'I hope you're not too disappointed by what Greta has told you', I said in a sympathetic tone. 'You know very well you can be useful to the Party no matter what your skills are. That's what…'

'What are you talking about?' she said almost rudely, as she was leading the chocobo to his stall.

'Well, about what she told you…'

'Do you even know what she told me? She told me I'd have free reading and writing lessons! She knew a teacher living here in Uwielbinie, who is going to come to the farm everyday so I learn fast! I'm so happy; I just wish… I had someone to announce it to once I come here…'

She looked at the corner where her father used to sit and nervously wait for her, with eyes full of tears. I looked at her and she seemed like coming from war.

'I am truly sorry…'

'It's… It's okay, Noah. I apologize for the pathetic sight I'm showing you. You should be back to your mom; she must be terribly worried by now, the night has almost settled. We'll meet next time to go back to Kalthof together… Are we agreed?'

'Aye!' I said, sad and joyful at the same time, before obeying. Crossing the forest during the night was slightly terrifying, and I promised myself to come back earlier the next time.

When I reached home and told Mom about everything that happened, she first did not believe me. Then she left the kitchen, raised her arms and shouted in my twin's direction:

'Basch, Basch, can you hear it? Oh please, put down this Swords Magazine you read everyday and listen to what your brother just said! Noah is going to be a politician!'

He obeyed – not gladly, it appeared – and shrugged.

'That's everything but what I said, Mom', I objected.

'But he's working in Green Progress! Do they pay you for it?'

'No, I'm still an apprentice and I joined as a volunteer.'

'Naria goes there too, right?' Basch asked.

'What of it?'

'Why did you have to build up this whole Party thing to be alone with her? There are other choices, you know! Like sports, weapon practicing…'

'She is not interested into these things!' I interrupted. 'And it was at Naria's invitation that I joined the team, not the opposite.'

'Come on, brother, you're ready for all lies just to keep your little secrets! But I don't care, I've also got something planned with her, she wants to go shopping in the City tomorrow evening and I'll be the one.'

'Stop it Basch! Don't fight over useless matters, at least in front of me', Mom shouted.

I sighed and went to the bedroom, waiting for dinner.

The following months were very productive. After the first brainstorming session, I learnt what were the key ideas of the Party and in which direction they wanted to move forward. I tried to implement them in my first task, and I had to admit Danek was a very good teacher. He was accurate in his words, patient in his coaching, encouraging in his lessons. I found that everything I read through books had a meaning in real life, how laws could actually help people build a better life and develop a country. Danek was surprised when I ofter gave examples of Archadian laws – he had asked me how I knew so much about the Empire and I had told him about the Drimers' law lessons. He then was even more surprised I knew 'so well-placed individuals'. I then realized school could make miracles happen, and that was the spirit I tried to communicate to Naria.

But she didn't need this; I had never seen her so concentrated on something ever before. She pursued her lessons and I felt like the proudest friend the day she showed me how to write her – complicated – name. Her teacher apparently wasn't the best, but what could she ask more than free lessons. In six months, she was able to read any text, understand the grammar and vocabulary, and even write a paragraph on her own. Basch tried to be present at these lessons once or twice – pushed by Mom –, but he quickly gave up on what he used to call 'filthy school'. In the meantime, Naria was showing more and more motivation, only looking at the bright side of things, as she was used to.

Quickly after that, Green Progress proposed she joined the campaign in a more concrete way and I felt she couldn't be happier. Even Basch, who was so reluctant to our political activities in the beginning, slowly admitted it was a good thing to be part of such a growing adventure. And he was also proud of our common friend, who was almost more literate than him at that point – I actually believe he was also jealous. Naria had been assigned to the agriculture hub of the Party, helping other fellow members in analyzing the agricultural state of Landis, travelling to farms around the country, interviewing people and organizations that made earth work beneficial for all. She was particularly good at criticizing the doings of the government, pointing out their flaws and saying things she shouldn't – as always. But at least, the positive side of it all was: we were both involved like ever in this common project.

Danek, I, and a group of others regularly received law sketches from the different hubs, and we in turn provided them feedback and improvements that could be made. In the end, we concluded that we could sort the thirty law proposals into six categories: Environment, Education, Economy, Social, Cultural and Health. We tried to come up with six definitive laws for each, but this was hard. There were categories where too much needed to be said – like Social – and others where we could hardly agree on a single proposal – like Health. But the Environment part was always full of ideas, and it was the one most cherished by Naria, who came up with crazy suggestions, like taxing people who didn't use chocobos for their inland travels. In the end, we had approximately all of our proposals, verified by Danek and I, and approved by everyone. We kept on meeting up in Kalthof once a week, but by the end of the campaign, it became clear that this frequency wasn't enough. So we travelled twice, then three times a week. Mom was a bit scared by this growing commitment to the Party, but I reassured her by telling her it was temporary.

As soon as I began to trust the persons I was working with, I made it clear to them I was not going to work for the Party after the election. It was important for me because Mom was right: it was taking too much of my time, and after all I was nothing but a fifteen-year-old boy. I was so shy at the beginning: too big a building, too many people, too different new topics… but somehow, coming with Naria every week gave me strength; I was staring at the building saying 'Here I come!' to myself, and I began to feel more and more… confident. It was a strange feeling because even at school, I was left aside as the weird guy, and laughed at. But then, it was a different world; not even workplace, it was just the community that welcomed me to make big things together. So even if I did not feel myself a member of the Party, I kept appreciating the experience very much and kept this interest until the very end. By the end I mean… the election.

My new work did not allow me much free time, but as soon as I had matters in Waldgott, I dropped by the Drimers' house to say hi. Cirla and Margit did not have much time themselves, but by the few words we exchanged, I could feel the opposite team was working just as much. My friends did not blame me at all for working with Green Progress, they were actually pleased and found it funny, especially when I told them it was Naria's idea and dream – they literally laughed. President Fördern apparently was ready for everything to be re-elected : he reprieved a handful of low-class criminals, and lowered the taxes threshold for almost everybody. But the battle was not over.

Poll after poll, Green Progress made it higher. In the beginning of the campaign, they were just another party that proposed old-fashioned ideas. But as Greta Pfirsich's interviews grew legion, as well as our press releases, people actually began to believe in us. Greta often told us anecdotes about teenagers like us stopping her in the street to ask for an autograph or questions. Her popularity, which determined the popularity of the Party, went growing so fast that the statistics could not find a comparison in history.

Then came the time of the debate. A general debate had been organized in Kalthof, with each party's representative. Greta's typical style and look made the difference. Although President Fördern did not have an awful assessment, his arguments were no match against Greta's expressiveness and attention to detail. She had an excellent memory that allowed her to point out what everybody else had forgotten, whilst always staying relevant to the current question. The other candidates did not particularly stand out. After the debate, many have blamed Green Progress for relying too much on appearances to gain voters' hearts. As a not politically involved person, I did not have an opinion on this; even if I had to admit Greta's speeches generally amused me. As always, Naria was very enthusiast everytime her role model was involved in something, and almost interrupted the debate out of applause and shouting (we had been kindly invited to attend with the audience). In these times, I had tried to look elsewhere, to see if Cirla and Margit were present on the other side, but they weren't there.

I met them afterwards, though. They were accompanying their father as he prepared to attend to the vice-presidents debate in Waldgott. Far from the Presidency's employee, they revealed to me how much they were impressed by Greta Pfirsich's eloquence and presence during the debate, as it was related to them. They encouraged me to pursue my work with the Party until the very end, and I had to promise.

Reality was, I had begun to feel tired, much more than in the beginning, and all these political topics, although mixed with law, were way above my head. Rivalry with the Presidency's camp had begun to materialize into pointless spars, pitiful comparisons and endless quarrels. Outside Green Progress meetings, several groups of Fördern supporters were waiting for us, and vice versa. This created a heavy atmosphere I was eager to see finished.

Finally, the big election reared its head.