A dream comes true, but also a wonder?

“Haven’t you learned a damn thing from the past?” Ser Schnee hit the table with all his force. The spread out maps and reports flew rustling through the air, a cup of wine tipped over with a clatter and the red liquid spread over the now wildly mixed up documents, reminiscent of the pools of blood from the last battle. After this outburst there was a dead silence in the hall, everyone looked at Lady Jul. She was rarely at a loss for words, but this blow was deep and painfully reminded her of a time that she had buried deep in her memory. She could do nothing but stare at Ser Schnee, as she continued to remain silent, he rushed out of the hall, his boots echoing with every step and he slammed the door behind him with a loud bang.

Lady Jul also wanted to leave, one part wanted to follow him and scream at him, what the hell he was thinking, the other just wanted to be alone and cry over the freshly opened wounds. But she had her obligations here, she had to finish this session somehow.

Are you wondering where you got yourself into? In a strategy meeting from TgL, the alliance that will compete in a few hours to fight for a place in the finals of Ultimate Conquest Season 18. Nobody even thought about reaching the play-offs at the start of the season and now they were already assured of third place. Without question, this was the greatest success the Lions had ever achieved, but Lady Jul would not be satisfied with that. She wanted a spot in the finals and had strategized, drawn up plans A to Z, and selected and taught her lords and ladies each one with meticulous attention to detail and studied the opponent for hours.

But Ser Schnee was of the opinion that they should be satisfied with what they had achieved. The soldiers were tired, the next big battle was imminent with All Out War and the families needed some time together again. In the last few weeks she had pushed many people far beyond their limits and Lord Schnee and Lady Jul were already at the point where they wanted more in management than their loyal lords and ladies could provide. It's been a long time since they stood together at the top of WTw, side by side with so many good warriors. For so many years this alliance had been their home. Welcomed them both into Westeros, showed them everything they needed to survive. Not just to survive, they were successful, had allies in the biggest houses and had nothing to worry about. But the ambition grew and instead of remembering that many members of WTw just wanted to enjoy a peaceful existence, they pushed them further and further, presented them with new challenges, raised the bar ever higher, until at some point everything collapsed on them . WTw fell apart, friendships were destroyed and suddenly they realized that home will never be a place, but always where the people you care about are. And with TgL they had found exactly such a group. Wonderful people, not the greatest warriors and everyone with one quirk or another, but they stuck together and everyone, no matter how strong or weak, belonged, was heard and had the chance to make a contribution.

But the success in this Alliance Conquest Season awakened the ambition again. There seemed to be only one alliance that could stand up to TgL and they had already secured their place in the finals. But upon closer inspection it became clear that EKS was by no means to be underestimated. So far they had simply fought strategically very cleverly and thus largely avoided strong opponents. It was precisely this approach that aroused great mistrust in Lady Jul. These were no beginners, they knew exactly what they were doing and so she expected absolute perfection even during the fight and forced the lords and ladies of TgL to do additional training sessions. And that was the straw that broke the camel's back for Lord Schnee.

Lady Jul now handed out the final instructions before setting off with the other officers to the battlefield. The sky was almost black, even though the sun hadn't set yet. The wind roared across the battlefield, the air smelled of rain. And not only was the weather tense, the mood in the TgL’s camp was anything but relaxed. Hardly any warrior said a word, even if only the officers heard the argument, it was clear that Lord Schnee was not alone in his opinion. Lady Jul began to have doubts. Had she really overdone it? Did she want too much? Had she lost sight of the good of the alliance (again)? Would her comrades follow her today or refuse her order? She had never felt so alone on the battlefield, even though all her comrades were around her. All? No wait, that wasn't all of them. Where was Lord Schnee? His banner was nowhere to be seen. Would he really stay away from this important match in protest? Lady Jul just couldn't believe it. But she didn't have time to think about it any further. The timer was approaching zero. And right at that moment the heavens opened up and it started pouring rain. The racers raced against the wind and rain, you could hardly see anything, the pattering of the rain on the armor drowned out every other sound, within seconds the paths had become pure mud. The warriors' courage seemed to sink even further. It was madness to fight a battle in such conditions. Should Lady Jul break off and admit defeat? Then the first messengers came back. It was only with difficulty that Lady Jul could understand the message: “Warrior and our Outpost, sent reinforcement!” and immediately the armies of comrades set out to secure these first buildings. But their progress was slow under these conditions. Would they make it in time?

On the other side of the battlefield there was great discontent. Only 2 buildings, that was not the start EKS had imagined. Completely unfazed by the adverse conditions, Lord Przemo raised his armies. They wouldn't let this disgrace sit on them, they would take the buildings, not with rallies but with quick solo attacks that would give TgL no chance to react. He wanted EKS to be the favorite right from the start and these points that had already been given away annoyed him enormously. This couldn't continue, he knew that carelessness could ruin their triumph and all the planning and strategy and sacrifices already made would be for nothing. The warrior in the warrior's tower was hardly worth the name, it should be easy to drive her away. Finally the sign fell. He and his comrades immediately set off. Rain hit them in the face, the wind bent the trees along the paths dangerously down. Hopefully no one would fall over and block their way. They had to repeatedly slow down to avoid falling on the muddy paths. Then finally the goal came into sight. The first army fell on the tower, but what was it? Nobody returned? And just like that, the second army reached its destination, no sound of fighting could drown out the sound of the rain, but again it was as if the soldiers were being swallowed by the ground. That just could not be the case. It's impossible for this warrior to be so strong and put up such resistance. But the third army also remained missing. As Lord Przemo himself came closer and closer, the first injured people came towards him. “We underestimated her, the little one has real grit and will defend this building to the last man.” Lord Przemo didn't know whether to be frustrated or admire the warrior. He didn't want to take the tower himself. He didn't want to take the risk of being tied up in a building after TgL had proven themselves to be more defensive and faster than expected. And a swap was too risky, so he continued to let the other warriors pass him. Blood mixed with the rainwater, the wall of the tower showed more and more damage, and more and more soldiers were transported away on stretchers towards both camps. But the stream of attacks was stronger than the stream of defenders and after what felt like an eternity, the EKS banner was finally raised on top. Lord Przemo was by no means satisfied, it had taken far too long, but now they could concentrate on the ports.

But it's best to see for yourself what else happened:

Completely soaked, Lady Jul's riders marched over the battlefield again and again. Blood and mud covered horses and armor, countless had fallen, but no one wanted to give up. Again and again, Lady Jul felt guilty that she had led her comrades here, that she had demanded this fight from them, and each time she pushed herself even further. If she had gotten them into this mess, then she had to at least set an example and not give up. And that worked. The lions repeatedly mobilized their fighters, they repeatedly went out into the rain, won small victories, reinforced buildings that had just been captured and tried to defend with everything they could. But when it came to the mines, Lady Jul also had to admit that EKS was not only clearly superior in strength, but also in strategy and perhaps also in the will to win? Even if the conflict between the comrades was no longer noticeable as the fight progressed, it was still very clear at the beginning. Did this hesitation cost them victory? What consequences does the argument between Lady Jul and Ser Schnee have for their comrades? Was this fight, along with this defeat, the beginning of the end for TgL?

When the warriors arrived back home, soaking wet and completely exhausted, Lord Schnee was already waiting for them. They didn't need to say anything, he could see it and feel that they hadn't won. Lady Jul's look, that deep disappointment in her eyes, her lips pressed tightly together, gave him a shock. Even though his pride didn't allow him to show it, in retrospect he regretted letting his comrades down. TgL was not WTw and each of these Warriors deserved full respect for the in-season performance they did not put in for Lady Jul or anyone else in management. Everyone did their best for the entire alliance because everyone knew that the other was also doing their best. TgL was “only” third, but this third place was so well deserved that it actually deserved a big celebration. TgL was no longer a small, insignificant alliance, they have proven themselves in Westeros without selling their identity. They were not and never will be a top alliance, but they will always remain true to their values. They have already survived many and will survive many more. Ser Schnee was completely sure of this.