07-03-2021, 09:56 PM
07-07-2021, 10:13 PM
Project: Black Ice
”Inkling of Doubts”
Schonburg Castle
Oberwessel, Germany
July 17th, 2021
3:18am
She sat there in the chair amidst the dark room. There were no sounds coming from the anywhere else – even the wildlife had, for the most part, gone to sleep it seemed. As for those that occupied the castle, the rooms were hallways and floors beyond the sitting room where she dwelled. And while the normal person would have made use of the classical fireplace, lighting up the logs and even fueling the fire, Selena remained in her seat, sitting in the dark. She had not moved for nearly an hour (since she had arrived in the sitting room), having opened the nearby window upon entering to allow the gentlest of night breezes to quietly cool the room and give the moonlight more access to stream across the floor, allowing some illumination into the sitting space.
It was enough that the Snow Queen was able to gaze around the room, her eyes able to take in some of the details. The books on the shelves (though the titles she could not read in the dim light), a painting of a man overseeing mist and fog over a ravine crashing on the rocks – she had always loved that painting and Gunther, the castle landlord, had promised to give it to her when she fully returned to her Manhattan home with Deanna and the children (a thought that brough a smile to Selena’s face, as she knew exactly where she wanted to put it) – the carpeted floors, the wallpaper, all matching the ‘castle-esque’ feel that Schonburg presented…
But the one thing that stood out amongst it all sat on the table in front of the couch, a solid eight feet away from the chair and the platinum-blonde. The moonlight shined off the golden plates, almost as much as it might shine off Selena’s hair if she stood in its glow (perhaps more, Selena couldn’t be sure).
It was her title. She had done it.
The SCW World championship had sat there for the last few nights, it’s new holder taking it with her to this room, this undisturbed location, when she couldn’t sleep – which had been the case since she had won the title four days ago. She would always place it on the table, sit in the same chair and let her thoughts run rampant, dissecting every emotion she felt regarding all that had happened.
Of course, there was joy. For the last four years, and too many times to count, Selena had heard the detractors. People in SCW and some outside it proclaiming that her time as world champion was long gone. That 2017 – the only year she had truly held the world title, not including winning it at the End of the Year special of 2016 – had been a flash in the pan. A momentum run that would never be duplicated by the Snow Queen. Her two reigns, short as they were, like her time in the main-event picture of the world title, would be compared to Dillusion, Christian Savior, The Real Speed, and Chad Evans – Hall of Famers and icons in their own right but had only reached the pinnacle of SCW for a brief moment before crashing back down. For so long, Selena had known she was on that list…
Four days ago, she had changed that, and there was joy in that. The elation of achieving a goal – what had started with her bursting back onto the singles division with a win over Syren at Be Careful What You Wish For, followed by being chosen by the boss to challenge for the world title, then to win it clean. No tricks, no interferences. Then to have Deanna in the ring with her to celebrate…
No, the joy was not just from winning the title again – it was so much more than that, and Deanna had played an enormous part in that. Deanna had been there, ensuring Selena was safe against the antics of Infamous when the Snow Queen had prevailed against Syren. Deanna had been there to inspire Selena when she had fought Cid, the now former world champion surprising Selena and stunning her with power moves and a quickness that had proven what Selena had known from the start: that beneath the uncertainty, stammering, and meekness Cid displayed was an ‘elite’ talent that had taken everything Selena had to put away for a mere three-count.
And on top of it all… she was going to Rise to Greatness to compete in the main-event.
In the darkness that covered most of her, Selena’s eyes lifted to gaze at the plates of metal that were secured onto the leather strap. That was something she now had that few in this company had. It was the screaming factor that said she was more than a ‘flash in the pan’. That this reign, however short or long, was more than her previous two. Defeating Cid for the title had secured her spot in the main-event on the biggest show in SCW’s season: Rise to Greatness.
That was the part that was the most difficult for her to process, leading to the next emotion that always filled her mind. In the early beginnings, ever since she had won the world title, she had wanted to headline Rise to Greatness – referring to such an event as “The Unbelievable Main Event”. And for the young woman, it truly was. To win the title was difficult alone – but with everyone so certain that her place in the world-title picture was fleeting at best – the idea that “The Snow Queen”… the “Disney Ripoff” as so many of her peers kept referring to her as… to headline the biggest show of the year seemed impossible. And for years, every time SCW would draw near to it, Selena would mention that goal. That dream – only to always come up short.
Even now, there was a slight fear and doubt in her mind, preventing her from truly embracing the notion she had exclaimed to Deanna and her sister, Regan, that night in St. Louis. A fear that reality would rear it’s ugly head and end this dream she was currently living in. That fate would throw some kind of World title match her way and she’d lose the title in the next forty or so days before Rise to Greatness – further continuing the curse she had of always coming so close but never reaching the goal. That…that…
She had often exhausted herself into sleep going through this train of thought, thinking of the multitudinous ways she could fail or come up short in the build up to Rise to Greatness, much as she had come up short in her first and second reign as the world champion in 2017. Still, as she took a deep breath and reached over, in the dim moonlight, to grasp the fine-china teacup that was filled with warm orange pekoe tea, she knew tonight would be one of the nights where she couldn’t simply exhaust herself with that line of thinking until she fell asleep.
Her mind allowed her a break as she sipped the warm tea, letting it fill her stomach and warm her throat and belly, before launching into the inevitable third part of the emotional roller-coaster that had filled her since that fateful night.
Fear.
It was always fear that came last, sometimes waiting until Selena was asleep before latching onto her to fill her dreams with scenarios that shook Selena to her core, transforming into nightmares that would leave Selena waking up in a silent scream, her whole body shaking. Should she be awake when the fear hit, sadly, it did not fare much better. Though she was the world champion, had proved a lot of people wrong, made the fans happy (she hoped) and seemed to be on the cusp of achieving her own dream…
I want you to be happy.
Become World Champion…
Headline Rise to Greatness…
Move back to your ‘forever house’…
Then… I’ll be there to take it all away.
From the moment Selena’s hands had touched the world title and she had been declared the winner, no matter how much she cried in relief and happiness, no matter how much she hugged and kissed Deanna or how much Regan congratulated her… or how much her family: Gunther, Margarette, Gerda, and her wife and children, had wanted to celebrate, as they had the moment the Frost wives had returned home… there was always a part of her, small as it had been the last few days, that continued to echo the threat in Selena’s mind. That created a phantom holding a gun in Selena’s mind – one that would fire and take down all she held dear as it had sworn to do.
In her Manhattan house, with help from Deanna and Regan, her beloved wife and her loving sister, Selena had made the choice to face the threat rather than keep trying to postpone it. The threat had vowed to destroy Selena when the Snow Queen was at her happiest, much as it had tried to do when Deanna had been arrested the night of their marriage vow renewals nearly two years ago.
She, Deanna, and her family had survived, somehow – thanks to love and triumph and the unlikely assistance of Talia Scythe… for a moment, Selena ran a hand through the platinum-blonde strands that barely touched her shoulders, letting the soft fibers graze her digits as she twirled a few of them… still, freeing Deanna had, apparently, not gotten them out of the woods yet. As the voice had made it clear to Selena after Deanna’s official release, all that had happened was only ‘Plan A’, which unnerved Selena. Plan A had cost Selena and Deanna nearly two years… what the hell was Plan B beyond the threats? And… what unnerved Selena more… how many more years would it cost her and her beloved wife?
Quietly, Selena’s free hand gripped the armrest tightly, her nails digging into the upholstery. She knew Deanna and Regan had been right – whoever this ‘new threat’ was, Selena couldn’t let them control how she and Deanna lived their lives together. They couldn’t be allowed to control the Frost women’s dreams or wishes or their desire to be in each other’s lives.
Whoever this person was, be it a Scythe, a member of the Frost/Frostmere clan, a member of the DeCarlo family or someone new – it didn’t matter! They would conquer this as they had every other threat that had come their way!
That was always the conclusion Selena, inevitably, came to… though the time she needed to reach it varied from minutes to hours (as in needing to wake up the next morning to reach it), and always after she had finished her tea. Casting her eyes down, she realized that she was, indeed, as per usual, now holding an empty teacup. With a soft smile and shake of her head, she placed the cup on the small plate that was still on the nearby table before taking a deep breath.
Her mind cleared – albeit slightly – she was able to allow herself to be distracted by the itchy burn on her shoulder. With a slow inhale and exhale, the young world champion pushed herself out of her chair and to her feet, her legs giving a mild complaint after being seated for so long. Still, they complied with her movements as Selena walked the short distance to the table where her new title was located. Beside it was a tall, white, plastic container with a matching white pump. Carefully, Selena removed the large t-shirt she had been wearing for pyjama wear, her pale skin soaking up the moonlight that came through the open window. But as she reached down to press her hand onto the plastic pump of the bottle, her hand was suddenly seized by a smaller hand grasping it, causing the Snow Queen to jump a little and jerk her head towards the hand’s owner.
“Easy.” Smiled the redhead, her emerald eyes reflecting some of the moon’s glow as she stood before Selena. “Let me.” She smiled.
With a sigh, the older Frost woman relaxed immediately before nodding her head. Immediately, the perched woman got to work, filling her hands with a bit of the moisturizer before standing up to her full height, still shorter than Selena, and gently pressing the lotion into Selena’s left shoulder, causing the Snow Queen to slightly grimace under the discomfort.
“Hurt?” Deanna asked, looking up at her wife, causing Selena to slowly shake her head.
“It feels like a mild sunburn.” She stated.
“But you burn horribly in the sun.” Deanna laughed as she gently massaged the lotion onto the affected skin.
“I said it ‘feels’ like a sunburn.” Selena reminded, to which Deanna gave a nod.
“What I’d like to know.” The manager mused. “Is why me showing up still seems to startle you.” She lifted her head to regard her wife, emerald eyes meeting sapphire ones amidst the dimly lit room.
And it was a perfectly reasonable question. For the last four nights, Selena had, at some point or another, inevitably made her way down to this very room to think, drink tea and perhaps apply lotion to her shoulder. And, just as inevitably, she either would be joined by Deanna at some point or another, or would awaken with the redhead either in her lap or she in Deanna’s arms, depending on where the wrestler had fallen asleep.
“What I’d like to know…” Selena countered, keeping her eyes on Deanna and trying not to be too distracted by her wife’s hands against her skin (given the Snow Queen’s lack of upper body attire at present) “Is how you found me the first night.”
That had been interesting. The first night the couple had returned home had been full of joy and celebration. Deanna had, of course, implored Gerda, Margarette and Gunther to watch Taking Hold of the Flame (unbeknownst to Selena – “we don’t want to distract her”), the redhead beyond certain that Selena was going to win the world title. The result was Gunther showing the replay to Selena’s children so they too could watch the match and their mothers achieve Selena’s dream together. So, when the Frost wives had returned home, a new ‘shiny’ title with them, what else was to be expected than a massive celebration? A large feast prepared by the castle’s landlords and the children watching all their favourite movies and enjoying cake. Looking back, Selena was sure that Gunther, Margarette and Gerda had planned that to put the Frost children into a ‘food coma’ so Selena and Deanna could have more private time together, which they took full advantage of that night – Selena wasn’t ashamed to admit. However, much as the nights that would follow, Selena had only managed a few hours of sleep before the roller-coaster of emotions (which were now expected for her) began, causing her to simply walk the halls until she stumbled upon the sitting room she currently occupied with her wife.
What had made that night interesting, however, was that it had been a dark night, the clouds blocking the moon and Selena still not lighting a candle, a fire, or turning on a light. She had simply sat in the dark, allowing her thoughts to run their now usual route of emotions. Even so, only an hour had gone by until she had suddenly felt a weight on her, a person gently positioning themselves into her lap and calming her with a kiss that felt perfectly familiar.
“There were no lights or anything – the room was pitch black…” Selena mused at the memory as her wife continued to run the lotion into the skin of her shoulder. “Yet you somehow managed to enter the room, not bump into anything and know exactly where I was.”
Looking up at her, Deanna offered her wife a smile, her eyes almost – were they shining? For some reason, it reminded Selena like the eyes of a cat, almost glowing in the dark.
“I spent two years in dark rooms with little to no light.” Deanna answered honestly. “You learn to appreciate what little light there is and how to use it best you can.” She offered her wife a smile. “Like, right now, the moonlight is making you glow to me.”
Gazing down at her skin, Selena could see the paleness of her body mildly illuminated by the moonlight. Still, for someone with eyes like Deanna’s, Selena could only imagine how much brighter she must have appeared.
“You always shine to me, pet.” Selena smiled, leaning down to capture her wife’s lips with her own for a chaste kiss.
The redhead released a surprise “mmmmph…” before returning the quick kiss and, as soon as it ended, tilting her head with a smirk. “Smooth, Mrs. Frost. Very smooth.” She teased before stepping back to admire her wife’s half-naked form. “All good.” She grinned.
Observing her shoulder, Selena saw the added sheen that the lotion now gave her shoulder, which made the black of the ink stand out even more, especially given the pale skin that surrounded it. “I’m glad it still looks good.” She smiled. “They said the first few days is when it starts scabbing and peeling and it can be ruined if you scratch.”
“That’s why we don’t scratch.” Deanna reminded her wife before slowly and just as carefully as Selena had, removed her own large t-shirt. “My turn.” She smiled, turning her left shoulder towards Selena in an almost ‘beckoning’ gesture. Giving her beloved a grin, Selena leaned down to fill her hand with the lotion before moving closer to Deanna and returning the actions/gesture her wife had given, rubbing the soothing lotion against the inked and irritated flesh.
“Yours has started to scab a lot more than mine.” She remarked as she began to rub the lotion in Deanna’s shoulder gently.
“Betcha mine will heal first.” Deanna teased, sticking her tongue out in the dim light.
“I hope not.” Selena laughed. “I’m the one that could be wrestling as soon as next week.”
It had been a hesitant choice that Selena had made, but it was one that took very little convincing initially from Deanna. When Selena had won the world title that night, the pair had celebrated privately in the limo “Believe it!” bus in St. Louis until Deanna had had an idea, one Selena could still remember her wife’s expression when speaking it perfectly.
We should get matching tattoos!
Crazy as it sounded, there was some logic behind it. Deanna had wanted to commemorate this perfect moment – the moment Selena had returned to the world-title picture, become world champion with the redhead by her side, and secured her spot at Rise to Greatness’ main-event for the first time in her career. What was more was that, not too long ago, a tattoo had not sounded crazy at all to Selena – the Snow Queen having promised to do so if she and Regan managed to win the Tag League. The Hellcat getting injured had destroyed those plans, but when Deanna had brought up the idea, Selena’s mind had jumped back to the same choice of tattoo she had had almost seven months ago – the black snowflake Deanna had designed for Selena during the redhead’s time in Frankfurt.
It was enough to convince Selena and the pair had searched high and low for a freelance tattoo artist to ink them safely. Of course, Selena’s ‘celebrity status’ had helped with the search and by the time the Snow Queen had her tattoo etched into her shoulder, Deanna had picked out her design. Much like Selena’s black snowflake, Deanna’s was black and also covered the left shoulder socket, but it was the image of a sun with wavy rays that almost resembled either a sun or a sunflower – which was exactly what the redhead had wanted. The detail was intricate, Selena’s snowflake holding little designs within the arms and Deanna’s holding etchings and designs within the ‘beams’ of the sun.
In short, as Deanna erroneously pointed out (though the redhead didn’t care if she was technically wrong), the Frost wives had ‘matching shoulder tattoos’.
As Selena continued to rub the lotion on Deanna, she felt her beloved wife gently blowing on the snowflake-decorated shoulder, trying to ‘air-dry’ the lotion on Selena’s skin.
“I hope you’re not wrestling next week.” Deanna remarked. “I’d hate to see this get ruined.” She admitted.
“Me too.” Selena admitted. “But I’m also scared I’ll have to defend the title…”
“Why?” Deanna asked in surprise. “You can beat anyone.”
“Yeah…” Selena almost laughed. “And anyone can beat me. Don’t forget, Deanna. Last time I had that title, I didn’t even hold it a month. I lost it in my first title defence.”
“That wasn’t your fault!” Deanna recalled. “There were two people who interfered-“
“Time before that-“ Selena halted her wife’s objections. “I lost it on Breakdown… so…”
It was a sad mark on Selena’s history in SCW. Both times she had held the world title had not been for long in terms of number of defences or length of reign, the Snow Queen having better luck with titles like the Adrenaline, Tag, and United States title.
“So…if they ask you to defend it…” Deanna’s words were slow.
“Oh, I’ll defend it.” The Snow Queen assured her beloved, her focus on her fingers continuing to massage the moisturizer into Deanna’s shoulder. “But I am hoping I won’t have to till Rise to Greatness.”
It sounded odd to Deanna. Normally, her wife had always jumped at the chance to defend whatever title she possessed. Hell, she had done so in her first reign as United States Champion, defending it in every match she had. “Because of the main-event?” she asked.
Slowly, Selena lifted her head, the Snow Queen’s eyes meeting Deanna’s before giving a slow nod. “I don’t want to mess this up.” She admitted. “I’ve nervous enough about facing Ace – if I get cocky and try and defend the title… I might lose my spot.”
It was a sad truth. The idea of a “world title match pre RTG” had even been rumored when Chris Cannon had been offered it by Mr. D., so the idea of the new world champion defending it before the big pay-per-view wasn’t impossible, even if it scared the hell out of Selena.
“I don’t know how I’d be able to deal with that.” She admitted. “To have it… not just be close… but to have the main-event in my hands and then to let it slip away… everything we worked for, everything we had to suffer through to get to this point…and what we’re risking to make it happen.”
She shook her head, trying to dispel some of those thoughts.
“Still thinking about that?” Deanna asked, her tone gentle without a hint of irritation. To her question, Selena gave a nod.
“All the time.” The platinum-blonde answered.
“I figured.” Deanna nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it too.” She cast her eyes up to the ceiling, as if to think, while Selena finished up on her shoulder, gently blowing on it to dry it as Deanna had done. “I almost wish this person, whoever they are, was more like Malcolm or Evangeline or even Anastasia.”
The remark caused Selena’s head to jerk up, sapphire eyes wide. “What? Why?!” she asked incredulously. It sounded insane: the named people have caused so much trouble, even death, in the lives of Selena, Deanna and their family.
“Because they were arrogant.” Deanna admitted as she walked around the room, seemingly unaffected by her lack of top. “I mean – they overplayed their hand over and over again cause they thought we couldn’t do anything to beat them. They didn’t care if we knew it was them or whatever. Whoever this is? They’re… I mean… is meticulous the right word?” she asked, turning around to cast her glance back at Selena.
“Yes.” Selena nodded her head. It was the right word. If all of this was true, then for over two years, this ‘threat’ had orchestrated everything – from Deanna meeting Fredric Castle, to being drugged and impregnated by him, to her incarceration and everything therein…
“The scary part…” Selena continued. “Is that they made so few moves that exposed them until now. All this time, we thought it was Fredric and his ‘mother’ or ‘wife’ or whoever that was. Now? We know they were just pawns… but the fact that this person waited two years before revealing that to us…”
Deanna nodded in the dark, the moonlight allowing Selena to see her. “It’s scary.” She admitted. “They’re right up there with Malcolm….” The redhead stopped, her eyes going wide as her head jerked up. “Do you think it’s-“
“No.” Selena replied simply, bending down to pick up Deanna’s and her shirt before moving back over to her wife, helping the shorter Frost get into the article of clothing without aggravating the tattooed area. “It’s not that he isn’t capable of such a thing. He is.” Deanna’s shirt on, the Snow Queen wrestled to get hers on, pulling it up and out to avoid too much contact with her own inked shoulder.
“But with him… it’s just…” Selena tried to explain it. “It’s his pride. When he saw us as pawns, he didn’t care… But when he demanded my hair for the information that would free you… he could have asked for anything I would have given it to him. The gold mine – even though it’s empty now – the fortune, whatever. But he just wanted my hair….”
Though her eyes were cast down on the floor, her mind in thought, Selena saw Deanna’s hand lift him to caress her cheek and run a few fingers through what remained of Selena’s ‘family trademarked hair’.
“Because winning something over me was more important that just ‘taking our money’. If he was going to beat us now – he would tell us. He would not hesitate to show us. And I think it’s because he sees us as rivals now rather than pawns. I know that sounds crazy, but I think…I think he respects us. That we are… on the same level as him. Does that make sense?”
Without a word, Deanna merely nodded her head.
“This hiding – orchestrating so much and then to stay hidden beyond a warped voice? No… that isn’t like him. He would have bragged from the get go if he was behind putting you behind bars. He’d want me to know that he was responsible for all that happened to you – and he certainly wouldn’t have waited two years and when he supposedly ‘lost’ to do it.”
“I believe you but…” Deanna looked away, her eyes settling on the windows, some tainted with stain-glass colors while others clear. With Selena leaving one open, the redhead could look out and see the branches of the nearby trees that grew against the castle walls. She could see some of the grass of the fields where squirrels and rabbits could run.
“You’d rather hear it from his lips?” Selena tried moving behind Deanna to wrap her arms around her wife, earning a nod from the redhead.
“I don’t…” she tried to explain. “I don’t want anything distracting you…or me…. Next month. We get to Rise to Greatness, we need you to win…”
That surprised Selena, because she wasn’t even looking past the main-event just yet. She just wanted to get to it. “Why does that matter?”
“Because it will.” Deanna whispered, tightening her hands around Selena’s arms that embraced her. “I know you want a lengthy world title reign and I refuse to see it go to waste without a fight. Without us going down swinging. You and I both know what happens when you get distracted…”
Selena remained silent. It was true. Whether it was her wife being endangered or when Regan had been targeted, Selena was useless when she was distracted. Dangerous as hell when she was focused – a danger to even monsters like Xander and Vixen Cain – but she had failed so many times, both as a wrestler and even as a World Champion, when she was distracted.
“I promise.” She whispered against the skin of Deanna’s neck. “I will focus on nothing else but the main-event match. On beating Ace and retaining the title, okay?”
“I know.” The redhead whispered. “But tell me that it isn’t a ‘Malcolm-thing’ for him to screw around and keep you from participating in that match somehow.”
The platinum-blonde opened her mouth to retort, or at least try and lay Deanna’s worries at ease, but she couldn’t. While she still maintained that Malcolm had some kind or ‘profession respect’ for the Frost family now after their wars against one another, the idea that he wouldn’t try something simply to take Selena out of the “Rise to Greatness main-event” wasn’t impossible. After all, Selena had - like an idiot, the platinum-blonde thought – professed her dream of becoming World Champion and headlining Rise to Greatness with her wife by her side. To take that away would just be another ‘win’ to Malcolm, for sure, which she knew he would covet.
“Alright.” Selena sighed, leaning her face into Deanna’s neck and cheek, feeling the warm skin that instinctively nuzzled her back. “What do you suggest? As my wife, my manager, my best friend, mother of our children…” she took a moment to press her pale, soft lips to Deanna’s temple. “Without you, I wouldn’t have defeated Syren or become World Champion or even be where we are in our lives. You say we should be worried about Malcolm, how do we deal with that?”
“We confront him together.” Deanna replied simply, squeezing Selena’s forearms.
“Really?” Selena asked in surprise, not expecting that as a possible solution.
“We go to Nome, confront him, and either we tell him to back off or we strike a deal to get a truce from him – at least until this whole thing blows over.”
“We already are at a truce, Deanna.” Selena reminded. “He stays away from us and we don’t expose him for his past.”
“That’s regarding our children and our lives, Selena.” Deanna sighed. “I want a guarantee that he isn’t going to muck around with you until we deal with this.”
“And this warrants a trip to Nome to do so?”
The redhead gave a nod. “Maybe Talia can be there to give us some thoughts on this caller, too. I don’t know…”
“Deanna…” Selena sighed. “You realize the contradiction you’re setting us up for. You want us to focus solely on RTG but now we’re spending days, maybe even a week, going to Nome and confronting-“
“I know…” Deanna sighed, turning in her wife’s arms to regard her. “Look, I know it sounds crazy but I just… I just feel we need to go there. I can’t explain why, but something is telling me that we have to go.”
They just stood there, gazing at one another, both their minds a swirling vortex of thoughts and consequences. For Selena, the idea of going back to Nome – was it necessary? She was certain this new ‘threat’ wasn’t Malcolm. In fact, she was certain, given the threat that haunted Selena’s mind, that she and her family were safe until after Rise to Greatness. Even if she did manage to retain the world title, which she had every intention to do – owing Ace Marshall quite a few good shots for the history between them – there was still a long way to go for Selena to be “at the right place” as this threat seemed to want.
Did Selena want to go to Nome? No, she admitted silently to herself. Though she had often escaped to the cold and the caves of Nome and of her youth to gather strength, that wasn’t who she was now. She was still every inch “The Snow Queen”, yes, but after being separated from Deanna for nearly two years, Selena had found her strength and inspiration in her wife and loved ones, which made her a better person and a better wrestler. What if going back to Nome undid all of that? What if she slipped back into her old ways? Needing the cold and the caves to enter into a darker frame of mind in order to ‘get ahead’ in the business?
At the same time, how could she possibly deny Deanna? The woman had suffered all that Selena had and more in her time in Frankfurt. She had barely gotten her freedom back when Selena had thrust the idea of her being Selena’s manager again, following her around the world to her SCW matches and such. What’s more, the redhead had asked for nothing in return, only love that Selena had been all too happy to give.
She’s asking you to trust her… her mind whispered. She’s asking you to help her…
“Alright.” Selena sighed, nodding her head. “I don’t think we’ll get anything out of it, but I know better than to deny your feelings, love.” Reaching out, she gently caressed Deanna’s cheeks with two fingers. “After we move the kids back home, then we’ll head to Nome, okay?”
The younger Frost gave a quick nod before ducking her head to further embrace the taller Selena. “Thank you.” She whispered.
“Don’t thank me.” Selena sighed. “It might just be wasting our time – especially so close to RTG anyway - and then you’ll be cursing me.”
“Never.” Deanna shook her head. “This is my idea.”
“Regardless.” Selena breathed. “Keep expectations realistic, okay? Last thing we want is to shoot ourselves in the foot when dealing with him.”
The smaller woman gave a nod of her head as they stood in the moonlight, the soft night breeze comforting them both. For Selena, Nome was not the ‘needed feeling’ that Deanna felt, but a feeling of dread. She couldn’t shake it or figure it out, but, while everything was telling Deanna to go, Selena could not help but feel like it would be a trip that the two of them would very soon come to regret…
Regret and possibly pay a dear price for…
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![[Image: tetXUW1.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/tetXUW1.gif)
The camera fades in to reveal the interior of the Spectrum Center in North Carolina, the site for tonight’s episode of Breakdown. With only two more episodes of Breakdown remaining (including this one) until Rise to Greatness, a more star-studded card could not be asked for. With former world champions such as Ace Marshall, Cid Turner, Xander Valentine, Thomas Valentine, and Syren wrestling, not to mention some wildcard matches like Brandi Lynn Tucker facing Crystal Zdunich, the race for momentum heading into the biggest pay-per-view of the year is on!
Even so, there is a stillness in the arena that cannot be denied in this moment. The clearness of the arctic blue and white lights shining down on the ring, the silence from the empty arena add to this. And as the camera changes to one closer to the ring, a single woman can be seen. She is dressed in a black form fitting pants and, and a black t-shirt under a leather jacket. The dark colors of her wardrobe only seem to further assist the item she is holding, its gold color standing out amidst the black. Her eyes remain on the item that she holds in front of her as the camera draws near.
I don’t think this is something I can brag about… her voice is loud enough to pick up as the Snow Queen, Selena Frost, lifts her head to gaze at the camera. Because that would imply that this was something that I planned. That I orchestrated. That I put together: “by this date, I will become the World Champion”.
And I would be lying if I told you that now. Carefully, the Snow Queen adjusts the newly won World title over her right shoulder.
Don’t get me wrong: This… she presses her finger on the center plate of the belt. This was always the end goal. And THAT is something I can brag about. Because I knew, sooner or later, with my wife by my side, I would get better, stronger, good enough to once again compete for the greatest title in SCW like I did four years ago.
And that isn’t a brag on my abilities. My abilities have always spoken for themselves. Ask Xander. Ask Vixen. Ask Syren. Ask Cid. Ask anyone that has fought me. No, the reason I knew that the world title was in my future is because I know who I am when Deanna is with me. I know what I can be. I know what I can do and I know what I can handle. And with her? Deanna takes all the limitations that I have fought with and removes them. I can be more. I can handle more. I can do more.
Call it ‘the power of love’ or whatever you want – it is real. And it is what allowed me to overcome those that say that they are “the standard” of SCW – be it Syren or the guy who holds the World title. To stand here and say no more to the Co-World Champions crap you had to put up with. That is exactly where I had to be – at that level of “more” to make it happen and Deanna gave that to me.
Even so, I did not anticipate things to come as quickly as they did. I didn’t expect to be named the number one contender, nor did I expect a fair, decent match with Cid. She shrugs her shoulders.
Yet, here I stand, still partly in shock after a few weeks, as the World Champion and one half of the main-event at Rise to Greatness – which I will deal with in due time. Because, while we are drawing closer to Rise to Greatness, we still have two more episodes of Breakdown. And tonight, I will have my first match as the world champion.
Slowly, the Snow Queen takes a deep breath, exhaling just as slowly.
Am I nervous? Honestly, yes. Because to me, this is more than me running down to the ring to prevent a three or four on one assault… she shakes her head. The first Breakdown I had as World Champion, I was offered a chance to ‘sell out’, as it were, and then I had the chance to watch my future opponent get brutalized by Infamous – something I am all too familiar with in my past with them.
I refused both.
And to be clear, I refused both for the same reason, which has nothing to do with Ace Marshall or Lexy Chapel. First of all, in this ring- she gestures to the for ‘rope-walls’ that surround her. I have never needed someone to speak for me. To make decisions on my behalf. I have always followed my heart and my beliefs. And after nearly eight years here, that hasn’t changed. As “eager” as Lexy seems, I don’t believe she is on the same page as I am in terms of ethics or beliefs, but that’s something I can talk about later.
The second event that happened, I didn’t help Ace Marshall because I like him. I helped Ace Marshall because a ) It was the right thing to do and b ) because I’m the SCW World Champion. She holds the title up a little before lowering back down to her shoulder.
That’s something several of the past champions have forgotten or didn’t seem to care about when they held this championship. This title doesn’t mean you ‘run’ the show or ‘lead’ the company or whatever. This means, more than anything, that you represent the company. You represent what the company stands for. You embody what the letters S-C-W mean. And for too long, I’ve seen champions of this title sell-out, use ambushes or other ploys to keep this belt, and basically run SCW’s name through the damn mud because they thought they could. And I refused to let that be the case on my first Breakdown episode as the new world champion.
And clearly I am not the only person who thinks that way. Hell, when Bree Lancaster, of all people, and I agree on this, then clearly I’m on the right path here!
Slowly, the Snow Queen paces around the ring, the title remaining on her shoulder.
Which leads us to tonight. Now, I didn’t start talking about the past because I expect Jordan Majors to use such tactics. Actually, to be frank, I couldn’t have asked for a better first opponent than Jordan Majors. A woman that has, for some time now, fought with the skill and integrity that is champion level. And let’s not kid ourselves, Jordan! Like I said about me – it’s not a matter of “if” you ever win the World title, but “when”. You know it and I know it.
I’ve known it since you beat Syren in that cage. I knew it when you became the iron woman of Taking Hold of the Flame last year. I knew it this year when you came so close to winning the royale again. And in the Tag League, I saw it too.
The Face of SCW gives a nod of her head.
From the word ‘go’, Regan and I knew that you and Dark Fantasy would be the two teams to beat in our section. We knew that, if anyone could shock the world, it would be you and Cookie Dreams- and our match against you, the Psychonaughts vs Frozen Hell was easily one of the most intense tag-matches I’ve been part of the past year.
And when you beat Glory and I, it just cemented how good you and Cookie were – not just as a team – but as wrestlers.
For a moment, Selena’s eyes cast over to the world title on her shoulder. And the thing is, Jordan, when I started my journey back to the world title, there was a list of people that I wanted to face. A proverbial ‘who’s who’ of SCW’s best. Not just the ‘legends’ or ‘icons’ but the ‘rising stars’, the ‘future world champions’, people that I felt I needed to prove myself against in order to reach a level worthy of something more than just a ‘flash in the pan’ world champion or ‘a short reign’ like I’ve had in the past. People I needed to push myself further and further to have a chance against so I could reach the level I wanted to be at to become World Champion…
Now, things haven’t exactly gone the way I thought they would in terms of ‘order of events’, as you can see… but I still have that list in my head. And Jordan, you are on it.
Standing in a corner, Selena gives polite smile. Of course you’re on it, Jordan! Like I said, you’re a standard of the future. When you’re the world champion, you’re going to represent a level, a standard that I need to stay in contention with. A standard that I am going to have to work hard as hell to surpass – because now that I’m here, with the world title, I want to stay here! I don’t want to fail and have to wait another four years for my next chance. I want to stay at this level and more than that, I want to excel at this level!
The Snow Queen takes a deep breath before adjusting the title over her shoulder. See, everyone is looking at this match as ‘your opportunity’. “Majors has a hell of a opportunity”. And I get it, you’re facing the World Champion. You’ve got the chance to make a statement by beating the world champion. Could be what puts you in line as it did for me when I beat Syren…
But Jordan… what you and several others are failing to realize is that, while this makes the match important to you, it is just as important, if not more so, to me. Because this match is a ‘hell of an opportunity’ for me as well.
Because, like that first episode of Breakdown a few weeks ago, I have the chance to define how I want my time as World Champion to go – how I am seen as a World Champion now. And even though it may end in a matter of weeks at Rise to Greatness – you never know – I have a choice how I want to be seen as world champion and, like that episode of Breakdown, I am not going to be a champion that dismisses a challenge. Or shies away in favour of “saving my strength for the big RTG match”.
No… I am going to define SCW as the World Champion by coming to the ring and setting the standard for this title – one that doesn’t involve fake world titles or ‘outside help to retain’.
Looking down for a moment, as if to collect her thoughts, Selena lifts her head up to gaze back at the camera.
See, Jordan, tonight isn’t about ‘your place in line for the World title’. That is something I have no intention in taking from you, win or lose. And tonight isn’t about whether or not I am ready or capable of the main-event at Rise to Greatness.
No, Jordan, tonight is about who I am as the SCW World champion! Tonight is about the standard that I have been trying to show ever since I began this journey back in January. Tonight is about, even in a non-title match, I prove WHY I am the SCW World Champion and WHY I am going to the main-event at Rise to Greatness.
Reaching the middle of the ring, Selena removes the title from her shoulder. I’m not ready for the future that has you as the world champion yet, Jordan. When that day comes, believe me, I will be one of the first to congratulate you. But I am not ready for that day yet. No, because after four years to get here, I need to savour and make every night, every match, every moment count! Which is exactly what I will do tonight when you and I face-off.
So, please, come at me with the same talent and ferocity you showed Syren. The same talent and skill you showed me in the tag-league.
Because, I can assure you, while the title may not be on the line, I am going to fight you as if it were – THAT is how I want to be remembered as the SCW World Champion!
Believe it, Jordan! The Snow Queen holds up the world title high as the camera fades to black.
07-07-2021, 10:41 PM