After I read your post the other day, this popped in my head, so I decided to share it today:

Sitting on his icy throne high up in the sky, the Dark Lord Stratospheric Polar Vortex looked south across the icy wastes of the north and at the far off lands where Fall still reigned, and pondered.  With his mighty legions of ice and snow, and his vast fleets of wind, he was sure that the lands of Fall could not hold out for long if he were to descend on them with his mighty forces.

Yet, he still hesitated, as he pondered how things stood.  His rival, the lord El Nino, had created a great empire in the Pacific, and he knew that this would complicate his plans.  He also knew that Fall had proven itself stronger than he had expected, and he privately wondered how well his mighty legions would fare if they were to attack.  He very much wanted to make his empire larger, but he did not want to take a foolish risk.  Yes, he knew that it might not be as challenging as he thought, but he was not certain.  So, perhaps waiting would be the best.

With the patience of a chess grandmaster, the Dark Lord sat and meditated on his next move.