A war rages. The war is not only on the battlefield, but in the heart of the fool. She is close to completing her goals, but enemies stand in her way. She is constantly fighting. She takes a moment to breathe in the twilit hours of the evening at the shore. Her path has taken her far from home to a distant land. As the waves roll in she sees a fierce warrior upon a horse riding along the waterline, firing arrows into the water. Her aim is deadly and her presence something of legend. After the samurai archer is done training, the fool approaches her.
"You are a stalwart warrior and a devastating shot. Tell me, how best do you defeat an enemy?"
The woman looks at the fool through her intact eye, her gaze as piercing as her arrows.
"You cannot attack head-on for their shield will raise. Easier then to encircle them along the side. An effective horse archer must ride alongside their enemy. and attack with precision into the gaps of their armor. She must be fast and strike true. You must maintain control of your steed all the while, fighting and maneuvering. The battle is under your control only when you find these two concepts in harmony."
The fool thanks the samurai and walks down the shore.
The warrior archer calls to her in the distance, "A storm is rolling in! Do not let it waver your confidence, nothing should! A battle is won, but it is not the war! Victory is achieved, but it is only the beginning."

War, struggle, fighting, eventual victory, union of opposites, confidence, power

This was such a difficult card to do. The background lept to the page but the character and her steed did not want to co-operate. I don't feel like I did as good a job as I could have on the colors, but I knew that it would end up being blurred out by the sunlight's direction, which should technically be stronger than it is. But all in all, it's a pleasure to be finished with this one.