As I always did when I came north, I spent a great deal of time in conversation with chief Kendor. On matters of leadership it was to him that I turned for advice. Although I had decided not to use Myra in the event of a Volstaff invasion I was still torn over whether it was the right decision. If I sent an inadequate army into battle we were likely to lose thousands of men, that would be the case even in the event of us being victorious. My fear was that if the army was defeated and I was forced to intervene with Myra people would say that I could have simply done so from the beginning and saved the lives of all the soldiers that fell in battle. Likewise if we won, it would be said that victory could have been achieved much more easily had I simply attacked with Myra from the beginning.

"You do not wish to become known as a leader who is quick to resort to brutality," Chief Kendor observed after I told him of my misgivings.

"That's correct."

"But you want your people to understand that their lives are important to you and that you would do anything to safeguard them."

"That's my dilemma."

"My experience is that in the aftermath of victory there are no questions that are asked about how that victory was achieved. The soldiers that achieved victory on the battlefield return home as heroes, and the sense of accomplishment they feel stays with them forever and repels any thoughts they might have about the sacrifices that were made for that victory. I'm sure this is something you would have learned from your father."

"I did, but now that I am facing such a dilemma myself the right answer is not so easy to arrive at."

"You are right not to want to become known as a ruler who favors brutality. Your decision to meet their army with your army is the right one, all that you should be concerning yourself with is winning this battle."

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"That's why I've come here, there's something that I need from you."

I told the chief what I needed and he had it brought to me. I left with Myra soon after. The chief had given me the clarity that I was looking for, allowing me to move determinedly forward with my plans for how we would stand our ground and stop Volstaff's invading army. Upon returning to the palace, I had Uther summoned to the palace and brought to my study.

"You summoned me, your majesty."

"Come with me outside."

We went outside and I picked up the bow that I had gone to the Northlands for. The bow was as tall as I was, and was something that Uther had never seen before. Behind the palace were wide open fields that people were not allowed to walk upon, this made it perfect for demonstrating to Uther why I had gone all the way to the north for this bow. I fired an arrow with the bow into the fields and together we watched it fly and land in the fields.

"I've never seen an arrow travel so far before," Uther said to me.

"This is an Okwari longbow, it's made from wood that comes from trees that are only found in the north; the trees up there have thicker lumber because of the cold. The Okwari used to use these to hunt with long ago before they'd domesticated the teewahs. If we use these the long range they have will give us a significant tactical advantage in the battle. This is only part of my plan, come inside and I'll explain the rest to you."

My strategy, as I explained it to Uther, was for our forces to act like a pack of small animals, devouring its prey by taking many quick, small bites instead of slowly biting off big pieces at a time like one large animal. Uther agreed with the broad outline of my strategy but offered that we may have to make changes to it depending on the numbers that we were able to gather.

"I asked the chief to make more longbows for us, it won't take long for them to have them ready, get some horses and riders together to go north and bring them back."

"Yes, your majesty."

"And we're going to need arrows, lots."

"I'll see to it that we have enough."