Selena Frost vs. Ryan Lecavalier

[Kemal Yilmaz]

2 RP Limit for singles

3500 Word Per RP

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Saturday, August 8, 2026

[SnowQueenSCW]

Scars of a Fascade

”Missed the Deadline...”

Barclays Center
Brooklyn, New York
July 30th, 2026
11:38 p.m.

“You’re going to feel that tomorrow.”

The medic’s warning followed Selena Frost into the hallway, echoing in her head as she walked, her left shoulder already throbbing beneath the fresh wrapping.

Ryan LeCavalier had known exactly where to attack. Like a pro... Selena thought.

The blow from behind had rattled the platinum-blonde’s senses; the BODY/PRISON had done the rest. Once again trapped... Once again in a hold I couldn’t get out of... She clenched her jaw at the immutable facts.

The medic had called it a ‘strain’. Rest. Ice. Further imaging if the weakness persisted. Blah blah blah. This wasn’t a concussion or fractured rib or smashed foot that needed a boot for several weeks... The shoulder irritated her...

Ryan irritated her more. She had never asked for the woman to be so ‘at the hip’. At first, it had been ‘okay’ at best – perhaps their ironwoman match from a few years ago had lent itself to a new mentality for the ‘rookie’. But after so many months of it? It had become annoying... until all of this happened. And now, she was set to wrestle a match she wasn’t even sure she wanted. This was just for LeCavalier to do what she couldn’t do two years ago! Use the Snow Queen as a stepping stone to the world title!

And people wonder why I believe zebras never change their stripes... she thought bitterly, though she wasn’t certain that thought was entirely aimed at Ryan.

Because neither her shoulder nor her future opponent troubled her as much as the announcement made before LeCavalier’s attack.

Special guest enforcer...

Selena flexed the fingers of her left hand as she moved through the backstage corridor, testing the muscles and nerves. Everything hurt but still worked. Manageable.

What wasn’t manageable was being placed in Deanna’s Rise to Greatness main event after spending weeks trying to remove herself from it.

Five consecutive years, Selena had stood beneath the brightest lights of the biggest show SCW could produce. Five main-events. This year was supposed to be different. She had known that the second she had seen the redhead standing in the ring by herself at the end of the THOTF royale – and she was ashamed it had taken her that long to realize the truth.

Winning the Shot of Adrenaline tournament by going undefeated – something Selena had never done.
Winning the royale – also not done by her.
Being a champion...

This year belonged to Deanna. Not her.

It was why she had refused the World Championship match offer. She had already stolen enough from the woman she loved. She had even tried to keep her distance! Now SCW – or, rather, Frank Delatosso specifically - had placed her directly at ringside for the match she had been trying not to touch. A ‘damned if you do/damned if you don’t’ scenario!

If she did nothing and Delatosso’s collection of parasites interfered, she would fail Deanna.
If she acted, any victory for Deanna would come with an asterisk.
If Deanna lost, people would blame Selena.
If Deanna won, people would credit Selena.

There was no action she could take that would not leave fingerprints on Deanna’s moment! Compared to all of that... the idea of fighting LeCavalier was almost... therapeutic. Least I can cut loose on a loudmouth brat...

A violent crash sounded from behind a nearby door, causing Selena to stop in her tracks at the sound. Another crash followed, followed by a familiar voice cursing!

The platinum-blonde turned toward the changeroom door, seeing the sign. DEANNA FROST. It also had a bit of art as part of the sign – fire-red leaves being blown by an undercurrent of wind and fire. She did say something about a ‘Wildfire’ name... Selena quickly dismissed the thought before opening the door. She had tried to stay away, but if Ryan, the Glimmers, or, gods forbid, Amelia or Delatosso were going to try anything to hedge their bet...

She barely had the thought processed as her eyes took in everything. The room looked as though someone had ransacked it! Towels, clothing, bottles and cosmetic containers littered the floor. One of Deanna’s boots lay near the wall. The other sat beneath the bench beside the Adrenaline Championship and both World Tag Team Championship belts.

Out of the corner of her eye, Selena spotted Deanna in the corner. The redhead was crouched beside an overturned gym bag, digging through it with both hands aggressively.

“Red?” it was a whisper of a voice, but it was enough. Deanna snapped her head up, strands of dark-red hair clinging to her face.

“I...” she tried to stammer out, her expression a mixture of surprise, relief, shame and much more, which probably explained her inability to choose which words to say. “I’ve been... where have... did...”

“Easy.” Selena tried, raising a hand. “I just heard noise as I was walking by. Wanted to make sure it wasn’t anyone trying to...” she tried to choose the right words. “Mess with you before the pay-per-view, okay?”

“Mess with-” she didn’t seem to understand, which Selena merely dismissed with a wave of her hand.
“Don’t worry about it. Long as you’re okay.” she turned to go.

“Wait!” The voice came stopped the Snow Queen. “Have... have you seen it?”
Selena remained by the door. “Seen what?” she asked, turning back around to regard the redhead.

“My ring.”

The pain in Selena’s shoulder briefly disappeared beneath another, quieter sensation as Deanna continued searching through the bag.

“I put it here. I always put it here.” She seized the interior pocket and pulled it inside out, revealing nothing but black fabric and a loose thread.

“What ring?” Selena asked, causing Deanna to stop. For an instant, she looked almost embarrassed. Then she raised her left hand. The pale indentation around her ring finger was subtle, but visible.

“My wedding ring.”

The room suddenly became very quiet. For Selena, her right hand rose unconsciously to her sternum. Beneath her shirt, hidden on a thin chain, rested the ring Deanna had placed on her finger more than a decade earlier.

They had been divorced for nearly two years... and it seemed that neither ring had gone very far. We’re too alike for it to be a good thing... Selena thought, trying to ignore her heart skipping a beat and the way her breath staggered a little at what the mess in the changeroom clearly indicated. “You... you still wear it?” Selena asked.

Deanna looked at her as if the question made less sense than the missing object. “Yes.”
“Why?”
A flash of anger crossed Deanna’s face, but it collapsed beneath the fear already there. “Because it’s mine.”
“That wasn’t what I asked.”

“I know.” Deanna sighed before she returned to the mess, checking beneath a folded shirt she had already moved twice. “I only take it off when I wrestle or shower.” she continued. “I don’t want it damaged or coming loose in the ring. I put it in the small pouch, zip the pouch and put the pouch in this pocket. Every, single time.”

“Perhaps you left it at the hotel.”
“I wore it here.”
“You may have put it somewhere else.”
“I didn’t.”
“How can you-”

“Because I always...” Deanna stopped abruptly, taking a breath to calm herself. “I always kiss it before I leave my changeroom, okay? For luck... to remember... to help.” she looked liked she had just admitted to some embarrassing secret. “And I remember doing that before I went to the ring earlier.”

The certainty sharpened Deanna’s voice. She stood, eyes sweeping the room before settling on the belts.

Then her expression changed, becoming colder, more certain. More angry. It wasn’t a look Selena liked at all.

“The Glimmers.” the redhead’s voice growled, her hands clenching into fists.
Selena was quick to respond. “You don’t know that.”
“They were here.”
“They were in the arena.”
“They interrupted me, Selena. They stood over the tag-team championships and made it very clear what they wanted.”
“That doesn’t place them in this room.” Selena tried to reason.

“They’ve gone through Amelia and Luz’s personal belongings before!” Deanna grabbed her jacket from the bench, throwing it over her frame. “They crossed lines because they think everything is some cute little game.”

She was immediately marching towards the door, only for Selena to step in front of her.

“Move.” the redhead ordered.
“No.”
“Selena.”
“Think.”
“I am thinking!” Deanna tried.

“No, you’re reacting.” Selena kept her voice level and cold. “You are nine days from the World Championship match. Delatosso has Gavin Taylor, Polly, Dawn Lohan, Federico and whatever other idiots he decides to point in your direction. Amelia is already unstable enough without you giving her another reason to believe you are distracted. You do not need the Glimmer Sisters added to that list.”

“They stole my wedding ring!”
“You suspect they stole a ring.”
“It is more than a ring to me!”

The words struck Selena hard. Deanna’s breathing was fast, but her eyes remained fixed on the platinum-blonde, more focused/determined than Selena had seen in a long time. If she only she brought THIS to the pay-per-view...

“It isn’t valuable because of the diamond or gems.” Deanna continued, quieter now. “It isn’t valuable because we stood in a church and promised something neither of us understood would become this difficult. It matters because you gave it to me.”

What the hell could Selena say to that? She had no idea and her emotions weren’t doing any favours! She had avoided the alcohol and NX tonight, not wanting to make any mistakes on the go-home Breakdown episode that would cost Deanna.

But that also meant she was feeling everything on 10 rather than 1. Taking a slow breath, Selena settled for the cold truth of reality. “We’re divorced.”

Deanna merely nodded. “The paperwork says we are. But not here.” she pressed her hand against her chest. “That ring reminds me who I chose. Not who chose me. Not who stayed perfect. Not who never hurt me. Who I chose. And I’ve worn it through prison, through Veil, through losing you, through losing myself and finding parts of both of us again. So no, I’m not going to shrug it off because Rise to Greatness is coming.” she went to push past Selena, but the taller woman held firm.

“That mentality is exactly why Amelia could destroy you.”

Deanna recoiled as if Selena had slapped her, but the Snow Queen forced herself onward.

“You keep placing me, the children, this family – everything - before SCW. Before the match. Before yourself. You think nobody sees that? You’ve basically made this whole crusade – everything you’ve done – the SoA tournament, the royale, RTG, all for me. You think no one’s put it together? Amelia will exploit that. Delatosso will exploit it. Ryan already exploited my hesitation tonight!”

“Caring about my family isn’t a weakness.”
“In that ring, anything can be-”

“It’s why I’m there!” Deanna ripped off her jacket and threw it back onto the bench angrily. “It’s why I survived Veil. It’s why I came back after nine months when I could barely walk into an arena without remembering what he did to me! It’s why I entered the Shot of Adrenaline tournament when I failed last year! Why I kept fighting until I won the Flame. Why I tagged you into that match last week when everyone expected me to be afraid you would take everything again!”

Selena said nothing.

“I’m not standing across from Amelia despite loving you!” Deanna continued. “I’m there because I love you. Because I love our children. Because every time I thought I couldn’t get up, one of you gave me a reason. That brought me to this point, Selena. Not selfishness. Not shutting everyone out. It brought me here instead of leaving me broken on a floor somewhere in Kentucky…” Her voice faltered, causing her to shake her head. “And it brought me to a rooftop when you needed me.”

The room disappeared in the blink of an eye. In the span of a second, Selena was no longer in the changeroom or even in the arena. She no longer saw the determined passion in Deanna’s emerald eyes or the full red of her beautiful hair.

No... what she saw was the orange of a sunrise crawling over New York City.
A balcony rail released from her hands.
The streets waiting for her far below.

Give me a year... One year. From this date...

Selena’s breath stopped. July 30th...

The day Deanna had found her.
The day Selena had agreed.
The year was over.

The deadline had passed while she stood beneath arena lights arguing with Amelia Nevado. It had passed while Ryan had attacked her from behind. It had passed without ceremony, without realization, without either woman acknowledging that Selena had done what Deanna had asked...

She had stayed. She given the redhead a year... And what had it produced?

A forged signature.
A stolen championship opportunity.
NX.
Alcohol.
Another failed attempt to become world champion.
Another attempt to disappear.
Another problem Deanna carried because Selena could not.

One year to prove there was a road back to before, and Selena had spent it digging deeper.

“Selena?” Deanna’s voice sounded distant. “What is it?”
The platinum-blonde looked at her.“Nothing.”
“That wasn’t nothing.”

Quickly, Selena stepped away from the door, putting as much distance between herself and Deanna as she could. “Don’t confront the Glimmers tonight.” she ordered
“My ring-”
“If they have it, they want you angry. Don’t play their game...”

Deanna studied her. “You’re agreeing they took it?”
“I’m saying you cannot afford another war.”
“And I’m saying some things matter more than SCW.”

“I know.” The answer came too easily but Selena suppressed as much emotion from it as she could. Instead, she simply reached out and straightened the collar of Deanna’s shirt.  “Go home.” she whispered. “Be with the children. Prepare for Amelia.”

“What about you?” Deanna asked.
“Ryan and I will handle our own business.”
“And the enforcer announcement?”

Selena’s fingers lingered against Deanna’s neck and shoulder before falling away. “You won’t have to worry about me taking anything else from you.”

Deanna frowned. “That’s not what I asked.”
“It is the answer that matters.”
“Selena-”
“You’ll have the future you earned, Red.”

The nickname barely survived Selena’s throat as she opened the door before Deanna could stop her. Behind her, Deanna called her name. Once... twice... maybe even a third time but Selena kept walking. She kept walking until she was out of the arena and back on her private plane, taking the necessary travel back to Japan. In truth, she wasn’t even aware of herself again until she felt the plane shifting a bit as she gazed out the window at the height of the skies.

Above the clouds... everything seemed so pretty. She sat alone in the dim cabin with her injured arm supported against a pillow, watching the clouds she could see, letting her mind wander.

Ryan LeCavalier wanted to make the World Championship her path. Amelia believed Selena would be unable to resist involving herself. Delatosso had made her enforcer because chaos benefited him regardless of who won.

And Deanna…

She still wears the ring.

After everything Selena had done, Deanna had carried that promise on her hand through everything... While Selena had carried hers around her neck because she lacked the courage to wear it where anyone could see.

The clouds shifted beneath the plane and for one irrational moment, Selena imagined opening the aircraft door and stepping into them. She knew the door would not open at this altitude. Pressure and machinery prevented such poetic simplicity.

But imagination didn’t care about such things.

In her mind, the cabin went silent. Cold air tore through it. Papers and fabric vanished into the night. She stepped forward and gravity accepted her without judgment.

No streets.
No railing.
No Deanna reaching her in time.

Only clouds...Only-

“This is not a path meant for a Snow Queen.”

Selena did not turn immediately. The voice came from behind her, calm and accented, carrying neither surprise nor accusation.

From the corner of her eye, she saw him. O. D. stood near the opposite row of seats, hands folded behind his back, casually regarding the clouds through the window.

“You always did favour dramatic entrances.” Selena murmured.
“And you seem to favour dramatic exits.” he responded in his typical sharp-tongue.
Selena’s lips twitched without becoming a smile. “I have not exited anything.”
“Your body remains seated, but your thoughts are already... falling.”

Selena looked back through the window, taking a slow breath. “The year is over.”
“So?” the old man asked.
“So I kept my word.”

He moved closer, taking the seat across from her. “Was the agreement to live one year, or to die on the first day after it?”
“She promised she would let me go if nothing changed.”
“And nothing changed?”

Selena laughed once at the question, but it was empty. “I forged Deanna’s name. I took the opportunity she earned. I used NX again. I drank again. I failed to become World Champion again and then left her to carry the consequences. Now she is about to enter the greatest match of her career, and SCW has placed me beside it...”

O. listened without interruption.

“One year... and she rose.” Selena finished with a shake of her head. “I sank. Anyone can see it.”
“Then stop asking anyone.”

Selena’s eyes narrowed.

“You have always possessed a remarkable talent for placing a crowd inside your mind and allowing it to vote on your worth.”

“The evidence is not subjective.” Selena countered.
“No. Your interpretation is.”
“I hurt her.”
“Yes.”
“I stole from her.”
“Yes.”
“I failed.”
“Repeatedly.”

Selena turned fully toward him. “You are terrible at this.”
“I am not here to make you comfortable.”
“Then why are you here?”

O. leaned back. “Because after all this time, you’ve confused punishment with integrity.”

The words settled between them, but the owner pressed on.

“A Snow Queen does not become honest by destroying the woman who lied.” he said. “She becomes honest by telling the truth. She does not restore what she stole by removing herself. She returns it. She does not protect her family by ensuring they spend the rest of their lives wondering why they were insufficient reason for her to stay.”

Selena’s throat tightened at the last one. “They would recover.” she reasoned.
O. laughed. “Not even you believe that.”
“They would have Deanna.”
“And Deanna would have what?”

To that, Selena had no answer. It was enough for O., the old man gesturing toward the clouds. “You have tried disappearing for so long now. In castles. Across oceans. Into mountains. Into mines. Did it protect her?”

She couldn’t answer.

“Did refusing the championship opportunity protect her?”

She still couldn’t answer.

“Did standing beside her last week diminish her?”

No answer.

“You keep insisting your presence can only be a burden because that conclusion allows you to avoid the harder possibility that you must learn how to remain without controlling what happens next.”

The engines hummed around them. It and the silence sat like that for several minutes as the plane moved through the clouds, some catching Selena’s eye.

“What if she loses because of me?” Selena finally asked.
“Then she loses.”
“What if she wins because I interfere?”
“Then you will have failed the role you were given.”
“What if doing nothing allows Delatosso to steal it from her?”
“Then be an enforcer.”

His answers were immediate. For every question, he had a line, a counter. Always something – Of course... Selena thought. He always has...

“Perform the duty placed before you. Protect the match, not the outcome.”

“Like you did when Regan and I went to war?” Selena rolled her eyes at the memory before she breathed slowly through her nose. “You make it all sound so simple. As if I can just do those things and all my problems will be solved...”

O.’s voice softened, but only slightly. “You have spent a year proving you can survive. Perhaps the next step is admitting survival was never the destination.”

Selena opened her eyes at that word - destination. She still didn’t believe everything her former boss had said - anymore than she believed she deserved the tag-team titles, or the high spot on the RtG card, or anything...

But still, there was one thing she had realized in the midst of this conversation... she couldn’t just run away to Japan... not now. With a swift hand, she reached out toward the intercom beside her seat and pressed the call button. A moment later, the pilot’s tired voice answered.

“Yes, Ms. Frost?”
“Change of plans.” she called out. “Turn us around. Take us back to New York.”

Back to the tower.
Back to the balcony.
Back to where Deanna had pulled her away from the end and demanded one more year.

“Understood.” The connection ended and she soon felt the shift of the plane as it navigated its new course.

“And what will you do when you arrive?” came the inevitable question.
Selena looked once more at the clouds, seeing the old man in the window’s slight reflection.

“I’m going to finish what began on that rooftop,” she answered aloud. “Honestly.”

[SnowQueenSCW]

OOC: Takes place following Deanna’s first roleplay.

Scars of a Fascade

”The Place We Promised”

Eyrie Tower
Manhattan, New York
August 3rd, 2026
4:31pm

The call ended with the press of Selena Frost’s thumb against the screen. For several seconds, she simply stared at the phone.

No second call immediately followed – or a message or desperate demand asking what she had meant. That wouldn’t last. She knew Deanna too well...

She’s coming...

The thought should have frightened her. Instead, Selena slipped the phone into her pocket and rose from the couch, crossing the castle suite without turning on another light, passing furniture that had remained almost exactly where she remembered it. The room had been preserved during her absences - immaculate, untouched and utterly incapable of feeling lived in - a museum dedicated to someone who had stopped existing.

Her footsteps slowed as she reached the balcony doors. One year ago, she had crossed through them believing she would never return. As she opened one, she felt the warm August air sweep over her.

The city stretched beneath the balcony in every direction. Cars crawled through the streets below, too distant to distinguish from one another. People moved between buildings, carrying groceries, answering phones, going home from work - living ordinary lives without knowing Selena Frost stood above them again.

She stepped outside but both feet remained behind the railing, her hands resting lightly upon the stone.

“You called her.” Selena didn’t turn, nor answer right away.

O. D. stood several feet behind her again, this time near the balcony doors, studying the city with his hands folded behind his back.

“Yes.” Selena answered.
“And told her where you were.”
“Yes.”
“That’s different.”
Selena’s sapphire eyes narrowed slightly. “From what?”
O. gave her a sideways glance. “Do not insult either of us.”

A quiet breath escaped Selena’s nose. Last year, she had hidden what she intended to do:

She had written letters.
Made preparations.
Waited for sunrise and accepted oblivion that would follow.

Deanna had only found her because Deanna Frost possessed the infuriating inability to stop searching and seeing the good in her and everything...

Today? Today, Selena had answered the phone and told the redhead exactly where to find her.

“I suppose it is.” she admitted. She heard O. stepp closer to the railing, though he never touched it.

“Do you know why?”
“Because I’m tired of running.” Selena answered.
“That sounds rehearsed.”
“It isn’t.”
“It sounds like something you have told yourself in twelve countries.”

Selena glared at him. O. remained entirely unimpressed.

“Fine.” Selena looked back over the city. “Because last year I made the decision for her.”
“Explain.” came the simple order.

“I decided she would be better without me.” Selena sighed. “I decided the children would be better without me. I decided SCW would be better without me.” Her jaw tightened. “I decided my death was some... noble sacrifice everyone else was simply too emotional to understand.”

“And now?”
“Now I know that was arrogant.”
O. raised an eyebrow. “Only now?”
“Do you want me to throw you off this balcony?”
“You would injure your shoulder.”

Despite herself, Selena almost smiled... Almost.

The expression disappeared when her eyes returned to the streets. “Deanna told me something last week.” Selena spoke quietly. “She said some things matter more than SCW.”

“Controversial.”
“I told her that mentality could cost her against Amelia.”
“Could it?”
“Yes.” The answer came immediately. Then she sighed again. “But I think I deliberately misunderstood her.”

O. waited for the platinum-blonde to continue.

“She wasn’t saying the World Championship doesn’t matter. She wasn’t saying preparation doesn’t matter. She wasn’t saying she would throw the match away for me.” Selena’s fingers curled slightly against the stone. “She was telling me that I don’t get to decide what she values.”

O.’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly. Selena hated when that happened. It meant she was getting somewhere.

“I keep doing that.” she continued. “Every time she chooses me, I turn it into something I stole from her. The title opportunity. The tag-team championships. Her time.” Selena’s jaw tightened. “Her love...”

O. tilted his head as Selena finally closed her eyes. The word hurt more than expected.

“She offers something freely...” Selena continued, “and I immediately calculate what it costs her. Then I decide the only moral thing is to give it back.”

“That does sound very noble.” the old man drawled knowingly.
“Go to hell.”
“I suspect you have already assigned me a seat.”

Selena shook her head, but O.’s point remained. ‘Punishment disguised as integrity’. The words from the plane had followed her all the way back here.

“I thought if I removed myself from enough of her life, eventually there would be nothing left for me to damage.”

“And how has that worked?”
“It hasn’t.”
“Good. Progress.”

Selena finally turned towards her former boss. “Do you actually understand what I’m doing here?”

O. regarded her carefully. “That is what I came to determine.”
The answer irritated her more than it should have. “Well?”
“You returned to the place where your agreement began.”
“Yes.”
“The year is finished.”
“Yes.”
“Deanna promised that if nothing changed, she would stand here with you again... And let you go.” O. finished.

Selena swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yes.” she whispered.

O.’s gaze sharpened. “So when she arrives, are you going to demand that she honour it?”
There was no hesitation. “No.”
“Are you asking her to stop you?”
“No.”
“Are you hoping she will rescue you?”
Selena’s eyes dropped. “No.”
“Then why are you standing on this balcony?”

The chain around Selena’s neck shifted beneath her shirt as she breathed. Her own wedding ring rested against her chest. She could feel its familiar weight. For years, she had carried reminders of everything she had lost. Perhaps that had been the problem...

Selena lifted her gaze. “Because this is where I asked her to prove something impossible.”

O. said nothing.

“I told her forgiveness wasn’t possible. Redemption wasn’t possible. That once someone crossed enough lines, they couldn’t return.” She gave a bitter smile. “Then I spent an entire year making every mistake imaginable so I could point at them and say I was right.”

“And were you?”

Selena looked toward the open balcony doors....

Soon, Deanna would come through them. Probably terrified. Probably angry. Probably prepared to fight Selena over a promise neither woman should ever have made.

“I don’t know.” O. frowned at that and Selena shook her head. “No. That isn’t true.” She took a long breath. “I know I was wrong about one thing.”

“Which is?”

“That I get to decide the answer alone.”

O. stared at her for several seconds...Then he nodded.

It was somehow more meaningful than praise.

“And what do you want?” he asked with a knowing tilt of his head.

Selena’s hand drifted toward her pocket before she stopped herself. She could feel the shape waiting there without touching it. “I know.”

“Then say it.” ordered the SCW founder.
“No.” Selena answered firmly, watching the old man’s eyebrow rise. “That answer isn’t for you.”

A faint smile appeared beneath O.’s beard. “Good.” was all he replied with.

Selena turned back toward the city. Clouds moved across the sky, slowly swallowing patches of blue. Eventually Selena breathed, “You can go.”

“Can I?”
“I think I need to do the rest without you.”
“That sounds dangerously healthy.”
“Don’t ruin the moment.”

O. gave a quiet chuckle as Selena lowered her head. “Thank you.” she whispered. No answer came. She simply breathed deeply once more, waiting another second before turning around...

O. was gone.
The balcony behind her was empty.
The doors remained open exactly as they had been.
No footsteps retreating through the suite.
No sound of movement.
Nothing.

Only Selena.

For several seconds, she stared at the place where he had been standing. Then her eyes closed, a strange, almost exhausted smile crossing her lips.

“Of course...” she whispered. The wind moved softly through her platinum-blonde hair.

Selena turned back to the city before her, her hand slipping into her pocket. Fingers closed around the small object waiting inside - cold metal warmed slowly against her palm. From somewhere inside the suite came the distant mechanical hum of the elevator rising through Eyrie Tower.

Selena’s heart began pounding as she tightened her grip.

Here we go...

_______________________________________________________________

The Royal Letter

The camera opens somewhere beneath Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, the site of this year’s Rise to Greatness, yes, but...

Not inside the arena.
Not in the ring.
Not beneath the lights.
Not anywhere the thousands of fans attending Rise to Greatness will see.

Instead, thick black cables snake across concrete floors, and production cases line the walls. Pieces of staging, lighting rigs and equipment wait to be moved into place while members of the crew work somewhere deeper inside the loading area. Even this late in the evening, the work is a bustle as the staff move to complete preparations for the massive pay-per-view!

The camera, however, finds someone not moving, merely leaning against one of the road cases and taking it all in. To the surprise of many – including the audience – that person is Selena Frost. But not the Blue-Eyed Devil...

In her black jeans, maroon t-shirt, black leather jacket, and with her platinum-blonde hair pulled into the familiar braid that hangs over one shoulder... She doesn’t even look like ‘The Snow Queen’ that the SCW Universe has known the past few years.

There is no gown or elaborate pantsuit. No championship. No throne... To all observers, it’s just...Selena.

Glancing toward the distant sound of construction, the young woman gives a faint smirk.

Do you know what the strangest thing about this Rise to Greatness is? She pushes herself away from the case. For the first time in what feels like forever... none of this ends with me.

Her eyes drift toward the direction of the stadium. Five years. Five main-events. Championships. Wars. Legends. People telling me that SCW lived or died depending on whether Selena Frost won whatever ridiculous battle she had gotten herself into that year... Not this time...

Not this time...

A breath escapes her as she processes that reality. And I thought not having that would bother me. her smirk returns. Turns out? It’s kind of fucking liberating.

Rolling her shoulders a bit, Selena starts walking between the production cases.

Because tomorrow night, before I have to worry about Amelia... before I have to worry about Deanna... before somebody apparently decides putting me in the middle of the Rise to Greatness main-event is a remotely sensible idea...

She stops, her head turning directly to the camera following her. I get Ryan LeCavalier. A small laugh escapes her.

I may not know the maggots in Frank’s head where my place in the main-event is concerned. But Ryan? You I understand.

Skipping over a set of thick cables on the ground to avoid tripping, Selena turns back around to face the camera. Fatal Fortunes. Two years ago. I’m sure you remember that. I do too, believe it or not. I remember because somehow you drew me in an Ironwoman match.

Slowly, her expression changes slightly. I had years on you in experience. More big matches. More championships. More experience managing a clock like that. And I used every bit of it. She nods in her recollecting. I got ahead early. Not surprising...

But then you surprised me. she lets that admission sit.

It should have been easy. An easy win for someone at my level. But every time I thought I had finally created enough distance, you came back. Every time I thought experience had settled the matter, you found another gear to push it. You nearly caught me more than once!

A faint nod.

And it took awhile for my ego to settle, but eventually, I respected that. Her eyes narrow. But unfortunately, respect doesn’t quite fit how I feel now, Ryan. Because you know what pisses me off the most?

It’s the damn FACT that you didn’t need any of this!

She lets the statement sit amidst the background noise of general labour.

You stood across from Selena Frost in an Ironwoman match when you had a fraction of my experience and nearly erased the gap anyway! THAT should have been the beginning of Ryan LeCavalier.

Her expression hardens. Instead... you became obsessed with the loss.

The platinum-blonde slowly shakes her head. So you started attacking me from behind. Trying to get my attention. Trying to force the rematch – all the merry way till Taking Hold of the Flame of that year, didn’t you? Trying to do what so many people before you had already tried to do...

A sarcastic smile crosses her features. Use Selena Frost to make yourself important.

Not uncommon that time of the year. I’ve basically done it at this show the last four or five times... She shrugs. Not exactly revolutionary. And her arms drop to her sides.

But eventually, it looked like you were going to get what you wanted. Selena Frost against Ryan LeCavalier! No random draw. No accident. No excuses.

Pause.

But... That match never happened, did it? All those months of work and preparing and... nothing. Not a match on Breakdown or at the Taking Hold of the Flame – hell, I’d have settled on the pre-show since my main-show card was booked but... nope. Nadda.

Why? Because you disappeared. The smile disappears as well.

Burnout. Pressure. Fear. Personal reasons. Pick whichever explanation makes you sleep easiest at night. I stopped caring a long time ago. She steps past another case. Because the result was the same.

Turning her head, Selena looks directly into the lens. You wanted Selena Frost until standing across from Selena Frost stopped being an idea... and started becoming your reality. And that was just too much for “The Last Monarch” to handle, wasn’t it?

But then suddenly, years later, you come back! She rolls her eyes. But this time, you were supporting me. Another humorless laugh escapes her. Praising me. Defending me. Talking about how much you respect me and how great Selena Frost is!

She holds up a hand. And let me clear on that, Ryan. I never asked for any of it. I never needed it. And I certainly wasn’t stupid enough to believe a few compliments erased everything that came before.

The platinum-blonde tilts her head. But admiration was never the point, was it? Her voice grows colder. It was just a slower way of getting close enough to do what you wanted to do two years ago.

Beat me. Make your name.

Selena gives a dismissive shrug. Same plan. Better camouflage.

She continues deeper through the loading area. And after the royale, where I turned down Deanna’s offer, you finally dropped the disguise. Her jaw tightens.

You attacked me. Again. And again. And again. The sarcasm returns instantly. Apparently nostalgia is very fashionable this year... she rolls her eyes, the humour vanishing quickly.

Except this time, you weren’t satisfied with getting my attention. You wanted me injured. Hospitalized. Unable to stand at ringside when Deanna Frost faces Amelia Nevado. She stops walking at that last part. That was your mistake... she growls.

You want to make your career by beating me? Fine. Get in line. Her eyes sharpen. But when your obsession with me starts spilling into something somebody else spent an entire year earning?

The volume never rises – the tone just grows colder. You stop being irritating and you become my problem.

Selena pulls her leather jacket tighter around herself before glancing toward the stadium again.

Now normally, this is where I would start talking about legacy. She sighs theatrically. About championships. About being the Snow Queen. About how I’ve main-evented this show more times than most people will ever appear on it and how I’m levels above everyone else and no one can keep me down...

Her head tilts. But truthfully? I really don’t feel like it. A grin slowly forms back on her face. That’s the other thing I like about this year.

She steps closer to the camera. I don’t have to prove any of that tomorrow, do I Ryan?

For years, every Rise to Greatness match came attached to some damned existential question.

Am I still the best?
Can I carry SCW?
Can I defend the championship?
Can I survive another main-event?
Not this year.

The smile becomes almost playful. This year... all I get is you... Selena removes the leather jacket and tosses it over one of the nearby road cases. Which means that, for the first time in years, I get to have fun at Rise to Greatness...

For just a moment, there is something familiar in her expression. Something colder and older.

No throne. No kingdom. No World Championship that I have to convince myself will disappear forever if I lose one match.

Just a wrestling ring.
Just Ryan LeCavalier.

And then the smirk. And just Selena Frost reminding everyone exactly what she can do when somebody gives her a reason to cut loose and kick their damn head off!

She lets the statement breathe before her expression settles again. And after I’m finished with you?

One last glance towards the distant stadium. Then I will deal with the main-event.

Her voice becomes unreadable – the tone shifting quickly. Amelia Nevado... Deanna Frost. And whatever happens when that bell rings.

Selena looks back at the camera. So... What am I going to do after I knock Ryan back into the shadows she crawled out from? A faint smile. You’ll find out when they do.

I know what my responsibility is. Her eyes narrow. What that requires of me? She shrugs. Ask me after the bell rings.

Selena retrieves her jacket but doesn’t put it on yet.

But that’s later. She turns her attention fully back toward the camera. First... you, Ryan.

The smile disappears. Two years ago, Fatal Fortunes gave you Selena Frost by accident. And you nearly caught me. Her sapphire eyes become ice. Then you spent two years attacking me, running from me, praising me... and attacking me again because you couldn’t live with what happened when that clock expired.

Easily, Selena slips the leather jacket over one shoulder. Well, congratulations, Ryan. You finally got the rematch you’ve spent years trying to manufacture. Just do me one favour, Ryan.

She turns away, taking several steps before stopping. When you go from, ‘The Last Monarch’ to simply ‘The Latest Monarch Selena put down’?

She turns her head to glare back at the camera. Try not to disappear...

Otherwise... no one will believe you were really here to begin with, will they?

The camera cuts to black as Selena walks into the arena.

[Ryan Lecavalier]

Under A Bad Sign