Selena Frost vs. Cid Turner

[SnowQueenSCW]

***************************************************************

The Frost 'Forever' Home
Manhattan, New York 
June 9th, 2021
6:11pm
 
Selena smiled at the framed image on her wall. It held two pictures within its frame. The first one, the largest one, in fact, was of her and her sister, Regan Street, standing in the ring – the night of Rise to Greatness XVII, holding their newly won tag-team titles and Selena also holding the United States Championship.
 
The smaller picture, was the group shot that took place almost two hours later, with David Helms, the newly crowned World Champion, standing with Regan by his side, with Selena, Deliah, Lucas, Mikalea, and Jordan Majors all celebrating in the ring.
 
It was the smaller picture that caught Selena’s attention. The way that Regan and David stood in the ring, gazing lovingly at one another, both proud of the other beyond all measure. David proud of his wife for achieving her dream and Regan proud of her husband for achieving the comeback of the century! They were clearly lost in one another as they stood there and the rest celebrated, but that didn’t bother Selena. She felt the same way about Deanna…
 
The sound of steps entering the space broke her attention, causing the platinum-blonde to turn in time to see the brunette that was also in the picture appear in the medium-sized ‘trophy room’ of sorts.
 
“Looking for a confidence booster?” Regan asked, taking a moment to cross her arms and look around at the title belts and trophies in the room.
 
“Oh, don’t tell me you don’t have one.” She countered. “I was actually surprised Kai managed to clean this room too.” Selena sighed, her eyes taking in the small room hidden behind the bookshelf in her office inside her Manhattan home. “I never told him about it.”
 
Quietly, she ran her hand along the frame of the picture she had been observing.
 
“So what are you doing here?” Regan asked as she walked the room. It had been Deanna’s idea to have Regan meet them here and spend a few days with Selena, getting the young woman in the right mindspace for Taking Hold of the Flame. It had worked a bit, Selena could not deny that. When Cid had released his promo, essentially twisting and mangling the narrative to discredit Selena and, worst of all, uglify the relationship between she and Regan, it had actually been Regan who had helped Selena put it past her and film her first promo, using her gym space just further down the path from her house.
 
“I’m just clearing my head.” Selena replied as the Hellcat joined her, taking in the sight of the picture from last year’s Rise to Greatness.
 
“That was good day.” Regan replied with a smile. “Ever think it get so backass backwards and different now?”
“Not really.” Selena laughed. “I was sure we’d be able to beat Dark Fantasy tag-title record.”
“That’s a little ambitious.” The brunette laughed.
“Not like I had much going on after Xander.” Selena shrugged, until the remark caused Regan to wince.
 
“You and me both.” She replied simply.
“I’m sorry.” Selena sighed sadly. “That isn’t what I meant.”
“I know.” Her former tag-partner offered her a smile. From where she stood, Regan appeared to be well to Selena. She could go walks, talk, handle small things like cooking and such…
 
Even so, Selena knew enough that, this being the first Rise to Greatness in so long that Regan would miss, it was bothering the Hellcat. “Even so…” the young Street mused. “If that’s the last RTG I’m part off…” she reached out to run a finger along the glass. “Hell of a way to go”.
 
“Yeah.” Selena smiled. “I’d take it.” She replied without thinking.
 
“But you’re not.” Regan nudged, leaning forward to try and catch Selena’s expression. “You’re not done yet…” she added.
 
Tilting her head up a little, a sad smile crossing her features, Selena turned her gaze towards her sister. “I guess so.” She shrugged.
 
“You guess so?” Regan asked. “Okay…” she dusted off her hands. “What’s going on, Selena?”
 
Selena said nothing, not to be rude, of course, but because she didn’t know what to say the future Hall-of-Famer.
 
“You’ve been off from the second I got here.” Regan stated. “I saw it whenever we talked about this weekend, when we were filming that promo – you’ve just been… off.”
 
“I’ve been nervous.” Selena tried.
“No.” Regan shook her head. “I’ve seen you nervous. Last year before this-“ she pointed to the framed picture on the wall. “You were nervous. You were twisted your braid like you were wringing a towel.”
“Well, I don’t have my braid anymore.” Selena laughed. “Didn’t you hear Cid? I gave to SCW Merchandising to clone and sell to the fans!”
 
“Forget that hairball and his crap, Selena.” Regan ordered, reaching out with both hands to grasp the Snow Queen’s arms. “What is it? Why do you sound so… I don’t know… I can’t find the word.”
 
“Tired?” Selena tried.
“No.”
“Boring?”
“No.” Regan shook her head again, snapping her fingers as she walked around the room. “Resigned? Detached?”
 
“Defeated.” The voice came not from the Snow Queen or the Hellcat, but from the one person who knew Selena better than Regan, as Deanna quietly walked into the room. Like Selena and Regan, the redhead was dressed in comfort clothes: green shorts and a long, salmon t-shirt while Selena wore her dark blue kimono and Regan wore sweat pants and a white shirt. “I’m glad I’m not the only person that’s noticed.” The redhead added.
 
“Defeated?” Selena asked, trying to laugh the word off. “That’s not-“
“No, that’s it.” Regan replied, her arms crossed over her chest. “That’s the word. I watched you for three weeks on Breakdown, Selena. And more than anything, you wanted to end this fucking farce! Cause it’s a disgrace to people like you and me!”
 
Regan breathed. “My first World title reign lasted one day. Others were the same way. Glory Braddock? Remember the gauntlet? How much to you think they regret struggling for that title and earning it, even for brief moment?”
 
“I get that.” Selena sighed.
 
“Do you?” Regan asked. “Cause Deanna hit the nail on the head. Ever since I got here-“
“Before.” Deanna corrected. “She was like this in Germany after the last Breakdown.”
“You’re not helping.” Selena threw back at her wife.
“I disagree.” Deanna shot back.
“Regardless.” The Hellcat raised her voice, silencing both Frost women. “You have had said nothing about the match other than that promo we filmed. Deanna’s right, it’s like you already know you’re going to lose and are just putting on a show for-“
 
Regan stopped mid-sentence when she saw Selena turn her head away, her eyes on the world title replica belt that hung on her wall, representative of her two world title reigns, short as they were.
 
“No.” Regan shook her head. “Don’t tell me that’s it. Don’t tell me you declared your intention of being World Champion again, beat Syren and Infamous, and now you’re just going to fade back to the sidelines! Don’t you fucking tell me that, Selena!”
 
But the Snow Queen had made the decision. Truthfully, she was sure she made it, perhaps subconsciously, from the moment she had received that phone call. Or maybe when Mr. D. had declared her the contender. A sad smile breaking across her face, Selena turned back to regard the two women: Her wife and her sister.
 
“I can’t be the World Champion.” She shrugged. “I can’t right now.”
 
“Why the hell not?!” Regan asked in disbelief. “It’s not like this is beyond your ability! For fuck’s sake, it’s just you and Cid. No interference! No Infamous! And Cid sure as hell isn’t Xander Valentine – what the hell are you so afraid of?!”
 
Regan’s yell echoed in the small room, living a ringing sound that pierced Selena to her core, causing her body to seize and her mouth to clench. For a moment, she simply stared at Regan, then Deanna, each with their own expressions. Regan’s one of fury and frustration and Deanna’s one of confusion and hurt.
 
They both had a right to feel those things. Selena was lucky – possibly the luckiest bitch on the planet. Four times she had fought Xander Valentine and never had she been put on the shelf by him. Not once had she had a bad match that ended on a freak fall that took her out of commission. Regan? She had only had two matches with Xander. Just two and she was out indefinitely. She would miss Rise to Greatness from it… while the woman that brawled with that monster more than anyone on the roster didn’t even have a scratch now.
 
And for Deanna… Selena cast another glance at her, understanding what she, herself, was implying. It was the destruction of their goal. The one thing Selena had been secretly jealous of in regards to Regan.
 
With a sigh, the platinum-blonde reached up to grab the long braid… that was no longer there… lowering her arm in further dejection.
 
“It’s because if I beat Cid…” she spoke slowly. “If I become the World Champion… then I’ll go to Rise to Greatness.”
“No shit!” Regan remarked. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
 
“Not if someone is waiting for me to achieve that just so they can kill me or my family.”
 
The way Selena had said that, the cold ‘matter-of-fact’ nature of it succeeded in freezing Regan in her tracks, a feat in and of itself. As for Deanna, the redhead could only shake her head in confusion. “Wait… what?” she asked.
 
Biting her upper lip for a moment, whittling it with her teeth, Selena slowly walked around the room passing the titles, trophies, photos and even the whiteboard with the black marker she used to use to write ‘current work goals’.
 
“A few days after Deanna’s release… I got a phone call.” Selena started. “I have no idea who it was from, but they knew me. They said that they were responsible for everything that had happened to Deanna. Her being at that tavern in Oberwessel, meeting Castle, manipulating Castle to…” she stopped when she saw Deanna visibly flinch at the memory.
 
“Go on.” Deanna pressed, her arms wrapped tight around herself.
 
“Talia’s car accident, the invasion at the castle…” Selena continued. “Talia and I always suspected that someone was behind all of this besides Castle… they knew everything, Deanna.” The platinum-blonde’s expression morphed to near disbelief. “They knew about you, about me, about Malcolm and Talia. They knew some of the things I had said to you in that magistrate’s room in the court house! And they even knew how every lawyer from Oberwessel to Frankfurt had refused to take your case once you were convicted.”
 
Slowly, the implications in Selena’s revelations were becoming clear to Deanna. “H…how?”
 
“I don’t know.” Selena half-laughed, though it sounded more like a hysterical gasp. “But they said that they were waiting…”
 
“Waiting for what?” Regan asked, having remained silent throughout the confession.
 
“Waiting for me to ‘be at my happiest’.” Selena shrugged, the voice haunting inside her brain once more.
 
I want you to be happy.
“Be happy…” Selena repeated.
I want you to go and become World Champion like you said.
“Become World Champion…”
Hell, go and headline Rise to Greatness.
“Headline Rise to Greatness…
Go and move back to your ‘forever house’.
“Move back to your ‘forever house’.
I want you to reach a point of normalcy and genuine happiness with Deanna…
“Reach a point of genuine happiness with Deanna…”
Then…
“Then…”
I’ll be there to take it all away..
“I’ll be there to take it al away…
 
The words emptied into silence as Selena finished, gazing at Deanna longer than she did at Regan. The redhead, for all her bravery, was still clutching her arms around her frame.
 
“They knew…” Selena rationalized. “They knew I’d beat Syren. Somehow, they knew that Mr. D. would make me the number one contender for the world title. I don’t know how… but they’ve known this entire time…”
 
And it was the fact that she didn’t know that made the threat all the more real. Was there a leak in SCW? Had the person seen the envelope and its contents before D. had shown it to Selena that night on Breakdown almost a month ago?
 
“I…” Selena looked down, lifting her shoulders before dropping them. “That’s why I can’t just beat him like I want to. That’s why I can’t just become World Champion…” she fell against the wall, leaning against it, her head up at the ceiling.
 
“Like you want too…”
 
The voice came from Deanna, the trembling redhead taking a deep and slow breath.
 
“What?” Selena asked.
“Become the World Champion… like you want to.”
 
Slowly, the younger Frost reached into one of the pockets of her green shorts before pulling out a folded up piece of line paper. Taking a few steps towards Selena, she handed the paper towards her, the Snow Queen taking it with a shaky hand and unfolding it.
 
On the paper were a bunch of scribbled lines of a sentence repeated over and over again… but in the corner margin… in beautiful hand-writing…
 
I dream I’m kneeling in the ring next weekend, weary and worn out from a great match. I hear the bell ring and my name is announced as the winner and the new World Champion… Then, I look up and it’s my wife, not the official, that’s handing me the world title. We’re both so happy… everything is so perfect…
 
She lowered the paper, allowing Regan to reach for it and find the single message amongst the sea of child-scribble. Slowly, as if a light going on in the Hellcat’s mind, the brunette turned her head towards the framed picture hanging on the wall, studying it for a moment – a younger her and her husband, David Helms… Rise to Greatness Main Event… together…
 
“So…” she smiled, turning her head to regard her sister. “That was your dream, huh? All this time… all these years… you ignored it… for me.”
 
Biting her lower lip, Selena could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.
 
“You gave me not just my dream…” Regan shook her head in stunned admiration of her sister. “But yours too.”
 
Selena tried to speak, but her words were caught in her throat. She still couldn’t say it. She still couldn’t make it real…
 
Regan sighed. “Selena…” she began, reaching up and wiping the tears from Selena’s eyes. “You know… Cid was right about something.” She paused, taking a slow breath, slightly admiring Selena’s confusion. “You’re so worried about everyone else…”
 
Selena moved to open her mouth, only to close it as she suddenly felt Deanna’s hands holding hers, allowing Regan to speak.
 
“You’re worried about Deanna’s safety. You were worried about my dreams and my wishes. Hell, you were worried about Cid Turner – trying to help him just last week…” Selena almost chocked out a laugh at the absurdity of that. She HAD tried to help Cid, tried to show him how HE was the champion and not Asher… for all the good it did her.
 
“You are so consumed about what everyone else wants…” Regan stopped before gazing right into the sapphire eyes of her sister. “Sister…what do you want for yourself – your dream…”
 
Again, her breath hitched, her jaw was clenched… she felt Deanna release her hand before rushing around the former tag champions to reach the other side. Reaching to the wall, she grabbed the black sharpie marker by the white board, holding it up to Selena.
 
“Write it out.” The redhead smiled.
 
Slowly, with a trembling hand, Selena took the marker, moving over to the white board. She started out small… but as she wrote more and more, her writing grew more confident, until she stepped away, her finish displayed for her wife and sister to see.
 
Be happy…
Become World Champion…
Headline Rise to Greatness…
Move back to your ‘forever house’.
Reach a point of genuine happiness with Deanna…
 
And under it all was an “=” line, as if it was all some mathematical equation, the variables leading up only one logical conclusion… All leading up to…
 
The Unbelievable Main Event
 
“That…” whispered Selena… “That… is my dream…”
 
_______________________________________________________________
 

The Royal Letter

 
 
The camera opens up to reveal the inside of what appears to be a ‘trophy room’ of some sorts. The walls are a deep red, the carpets are a sleek black with gray and white swirled designs, but more catching to the eye are the numerous items of gold and silver.
 
On full display are countless titles, at least two large trophies, and several photos of events that occurred in an SCW ring. And sitting in a rotating chair, dressed in blue jeans and a black shirt with snowflakes dusting the left shoulder, is the owner of all these accolades… The Snow Queen and Face of SCW: Selena Frost.
 
You know, I honestly thought that I was past this. she starts, her mind seemingly in a contemplative state.
 
I mean five years ago… that’s where I was the last time I felt this way. Questioning myself about whether I could be the World Champion. Whether I could carry the company on my back and be the standard that everyone tries to either emulate or surpass.
 
Slowly, Selena drums the fingers of her right hand on the armrest.
 
Like I said, I wasn’t expecting to be thrust into this position so quickly. To go from zero to 100 in a matter of weeks. And now that it’s here, I’ll admit, I have my doubts.
 
And giving the man his due. Cid… You shook me on that.
 
When I became the number one contender for the world title a couple of weeks ago, much like with the Tag league, I’ll admit it to you, I was expecting to face Bree Lancaster for that title… she shrugs.
 
That is not a stab to you, Cid. It was because I know, from personal experience, how badly Bree wants that title. I know how much it means to her. I know how hard she fights for it, whether I agree with her ‘methods’ or not (and I don’t).
 
You? I barely knew you. We don’t run in the same circles, Cid. We didn’t cross paths, even in the Tag League, and until recently, we’ve had zero history with one another other than a VERY distant acquaintance.
 
But you shocked me – shocked the world – when you beat Bree and remained the SCW World Champion. Reaching up, the platinum-blonde scratches her jaw.
 
And for the last few weeks, I’ll give you more credit, you and your friends have presented a strong, united front. Don’t get me wrong, you’re all a bunch of scumbags, but in terms of always ‘getting the last laugh’? You’ve had me beat every single week.
 
You’ve knocked me down. Knocked down my wife. Left me lying in the ring, left me lying backstage – and all of this was… you made it clear, Cid, was to prove a single solitary point. she holds up one finger.
 
That point was that nobody in SCW cares more about that title you hold more than you do.
 
Returning her hand to the armrest, Selena releases a huff of breath.And at first, I scoffed at that. I mean, can you blame me, Cid? I mean, the World title of SCW, something that’s eluded me for four long years, falls into your lap – literally! – and then you claim that you want it more than me? How, like a light switch, you didn’t want it when you won it but now you suddenly need it more than anyone else? the Snow Queen shakes her head.
 
I wasn’t convinced, Cid. I wasn’t convinced until you beat Bree and dealt with me. Until you took that cheap shot at me, exactly as Asher and Holly did.
 
And then it made sense, Cid. Then I realized how right you were. Nobody cares about the title you hold more than you.
 
Selena gives an honest shake of her head. I don’t. Think about it… what’s a strap of leather with gold or silver plates? Something that clearly can be replicated. she gestures to the belts behind her, all replicas hanging on the wall. Something that clearly can be mocked. Something that clearly can be lost and, like Gollum and his ring, something you clearly are obsessed with?
 
You’re right, Cid. You care more about that belt than me. Because I don’t give a damn about a piece of leather and some plates. her tone grows colder.
 
What concerns me is what that title represents.
 
I am concerned about the history that title represents. I am concerned about the history of men that fought like gladiators to be named the SCW World Champion. I am concerned about the women that shattered the glass ceiling, defying social standards and expectations to call themselves the SCW World Champion. I am concerned about the near twenty-year history that that title has seen, defining SCW, it’s ideals, and it’s longevity and promising its survival and its future for the fans that deserve it!
 
With enthusiasm, Selena strongly pushes herself out of the chair and to her feet, the camera following her. That is what I care about, Cid. That is something I care about far more than you do. This business. This company. This sport. And THAT, Mr. Fallen King, is where you made the biggest mistake of your current reign as champion.
 
Giving a small grin, Selena jerks her head a little. Because it’s one thing to say your ‘passion’ is greater than mine. Hell, I’ve heard that for years from people with more to their name than you, and I’ve proven them wrong. Don’t believe me? I’ve actually beaten Dark Fantasy on more than one occasion, Cid, as well as each individual member. You want to say your passion is greater than mine, that won’t bother me. I’ll just prove you wrong and defy your world like I have with everyone else.
 
Where you messed up? Where you made a mistake? You called my passion ‘fake’. You called my passion some sort of ‘scam to sell merch’. her jaw clenches for a second.
 
Take a look behind me, Cid…
 
The camera moves past Selena to capture the décor of the room, taking closeups of every title, trophy, plaque and accolade within. You see these titles, you see these trophies and awards. They’re not like your current reign or that title Asher holds, Cid. Nobody HANDED me these. I earned each and every one of them. the camera returns back to Selena as she rubs her pale hands together slowly.
 
And what you don’t see, Cidnay, is the blood, the sweat, and the tears that has come from them and eight long years here in SCW.
 
Eight years, Cid. Eight years of being tossed off scaffolds. Eight years of having buckled ribs. Eight years of having crates dropped to crush my foot. Eight years of having my head smashed open with monitors. Eight years of being whipped with barbed-wire cat of nine tails. Eight years of roofed cages, tactical warfare, elimination chambers, last person standing, iron-woman matches…
 
And not one single day off.
 
Selena pauses to let the weight of that last statement sink in, the implication very clear. I was in crutches, told not to wrestle. I was wrestling Sienna Swann at the next show in a match of the year.
I was told to stay away from Xander Valentine. That he would destroy me and end my career. I fought him four times and even knocked him out twice!
 
I have been knocked down, cheated, insulted, broken, beaten, but never destroyed. And while everyone else has fallen to the side, left, or taken breaks, I’m the one that keeps going. I’m the one that keeps fighting, Cid – THAT is what my passion is!
 
Gracefully, Selena gestures to the camera – to the World Champion. You! You won the SCW title in 2006, held it for a few months, lost it, and one month later, the second you hit a rough patch and couldn’t get it back? You were gone before the next PPV. You ran away with your tail between your legs, disappearing for over a decade.
 
The Snow Queen gives a shrug of her shoulders. You wanted to go this route, Cid. We are going this route. Like I told you before, I took the United States title and I defended it every match I had in my first reign. I took that title and put it all on the line last year at RTG in a tag match just to ensure it was highlighted!
 
You? You defended the world title only when you were told to defend the title, all the while whining and complaining about it being a ‘conspiracy’ and ‘placed into unfavourable situations by management’. she provides air quotes for Cid’s own words.
 
Me? I come out every night to wrestle and fight. I give it everything I have. I take on challenges and even make my own! I’ve come out to this ring and I’ve challenged monsters like Xander and Giovanni Aries, legends and Hall of Famers like Syren and Kelcey Wallace - The list is a damn long one over the fights I’ve started, believe me!
 
You? You only wrestle when you’re TOLD to wrestle. You only come out of your changeroom when Asher and Holly TELL you to come out of your changeroom. You only talk when they TELL you to talk. You only wear what they TELL you to wear.
 
And you only stay in SCW as long as it’s easy for you. I stay in SCW and make the hard times LOOK easy! That’s the difference! her voice is harsh, the conviction clear in her voice.
 
You, by your own confession, Cid, are wrestling me because you HAVE to. I’m wrestling you because I WANT to! Because I WANT to wage war for that championship and EVERYTHING it stands for! I want to keep waging war for that championship against everyone else in SCW! Not because it’s a ‘conspiracy’, not because it’s ‘my job’, sure as hell isn’t for because of a paycheck, but because I love this business and I respect every part of it! THAT is my passion, Cid!
 
The Snow Queen takes a deep, but quick breath. And for so many years, I’ve watched whiners and crybabies like you call the shots. So many years, I’ve watched ingrates and entitled jackasses like you disrespect that championship by hook or by crook – so many years, like you said, I’ve let other people live their dreams before me. she slowly shakes her head, a smile growing on her face.
 
Not this weekend!
 
In 2017, Cid, I was the last person eliminated from the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royale. I was one person away from the main event at Rise to Greatness.
For three years, I was in the second last match at Rise to Greatness - The last match before ‘the main-event’.
 
Like the four years I’ve clawed for my chance at that title, Cid, for four years I’ve come closer than any other superstar at headlining Rise to Greatness! Four years, I’ve touched the tips and lived in the shadow of the main-event of Rise to Greatness, but never given the chance to have that moment! To shine as “The Face of SCW”! some of her words echo in the small room slightly, adding an emphasis to her message.
 
Now? I have a chance to do both – to achieve the dream I’ve kept to myself for so long. The “Unbelievable Main Event” with my wife, Deanna by my side…
 
And a little spoiler, Cid: I’m not going to be close this time. I’m not going to ‘just miss it’. I’m not going to allow another year to go by where I fail and watch someone else take what I want. Where I get told my passion ‘doesn’t’ exist by a disrespectful toad who wouldn’t know true passion for this business if it came right up to him kicked him in the face! there is a slight growl in her voice.
 
You said that this match will come down to one thing, Cid: Who wants it more. You were right. It’s not going to come down to skill, or luck, or even who’s got the best insults. It’s going to come down to who has more passion.
 
And after eight years here – through thick and thin, better or worse, every trial, pain, and suffering, Cid… you’re not even close to me. the young Frost shakes her head.
 
Because, after eight years, I know what it takes to truly EARN that World Championship. I know what it takes to BEAT a guy like you. I know that I have the passion to do it – to take all that you can throw at me, fight through the pain, overcome it, go on to main-event Rise to Greatness, and give the winner of the royale, not some half-title shot like you’re promising them, but an SCW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH!
 
Lowering her voice, Selena’s words are just above a whisper, yet clear as a bell. You may still leave the Enterprise Center holding a title this weekend, Cid… but I promise you this: you will not be leaving the Enterprise Center as the SCW World Champion. Believe it!
 
The Snow Queen slowly reaches for the camera before suddenly stopping herself, a slight laugh in her voice.Oh… sorry! One last thing, Cid, that you were right about...
 
About me crying? Well, after I beat you… you better believe I’m going to cry. Cry my little eyes out. she smiles sweetly. Blame my passion, you son of a bitch!
 
With a slam of her hand, the camera shot is covered and immediately goes to black.