Kandis vs. Selena Frost

[supremecw]

Kandis vs. Selena Frost

Special Referee: CHBK

Rise to Greatness XX Main Card

2 RP Limit
Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Sunday, July 23,2023

[Kandis.]

OOC: Here we go! Fifteen months in the making. Let's make it worth it.
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Rise to Greatness 2023 #1

[SnowQueenSCW]

OOC: Part 1

DISCLAIMER: The following is a work of fiction and not to be confused as complete or accurate representation of any beliefs, religions, etc. Please refer to research/articles by experts for that.

The Witches of Alden

”Investigation”

The VanHohenheim House
Maplewood, New Jersey
July 15th, 2023
1:12pm

“It’s gotta be a trap or something.” Selena Frost half-snorted as she gazed out of the window, her sapphire eyes sweeping over the small, quiet neighbourhood that housed her parents. She could see the colors of various cars parked in their respective driveways or perhaps on the side of the road, nestled against the curb. The trees planted in the yards, some small and thin while others were thick and massive, all carried the green-colored leaves of their species, but all indicating the beautiful season (though not as gorgeous as the winter to the Snow Queen – nothing in her mind could replace an undisturbed blanket of snow across the land and treetops). And if she strained her ears enough, she could just make out the sound of birds in those trees, chirping along without a care in the world. Were they flying? Were they in their nests – their own home? Did they have any cares or fears or responsibilities like she did?

Of course not. She thought with a twinge of jealousy. If they were so weighed down with the weight of the world on their shoulders, no chance would they be able to fly so high, if at all. As she thought this analogy, she spied the streak of blue blaze past her, a blue jay flying its way from one tree into another. Selena watched it go, the creature performing its natural skill/instinct – what it was meant to do – until it disappeared behind the ‘curtain’ of leaves and branches of one of the bigger trees down the street.

So lucky…

Ignoring the slight pang in her heart at the bird’s ‘departure’, she turned around, putting her back to the window and her ‘respite’ to focus on the room she stood in. Behind her, amidst the older, brown couches and dark-blue carpeted floors, sat/stood much of her family. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the dark, natural auburn of Deanna’s hair as her wife sat in the large Lazy-Boy chair, contemplating the black envelope/letter she held in her hands – the same letter they had received weeks ago. Beyond the Snow Queen, sitting on one of the couches, were her biological aunt and uncle, Caius and Sage Alden (Caius on the main part while Sage sat on the arm), while her mother, Alejandra VanHohenheim, sat closer to the Snow Queen in her own chair. However, it was the woman that sat in the middle of the room, having a seat pulled up to that location, that spoke up first.

“More of a formality.” Corrected the older, almost condescending tone of Freya Alden, Alejandra’s mother and Selena’s grandmother. “All Aldens are invited to the festival of Lughnasad.” The woman added. “To snub a family that is still part of the chapter – regardless of their past deeds – would be seen as incredibly poor taste.”

“Doesn’t mean it’s not a trap.” Selena shot back with a the barest of snorts and a roll of her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest while giving a sharp shrug of her shoulders. Gods, there was so much of this woman that annoyed the platinum-blonde. Her ‘holier than thou’ attitude. Her condescending tone. For Odin’s sake, it felt like every word out of her mouth was just an inflection away from a backhanded insult. Like to see how long you last in MY world… the platinum-blonde thought darkly. See how long that tone lasts with something like Xander Valentine breathing down your neck.

“Mom-“ Selena, in an effort to quiet her thoughts, turned her head to regard the darker-skinned woman, though Freya’s skin was far darker, Selena’s mother ‘mixed-heritage’ showing more so than Selena’s. To answer her daughter, Alejandra merely shook her head before shrugging her shoulders, her dark-blue flannel shirt shifting ever so slightly with her movements.

“I’m not sure.” She answered honestly. “But this does seem a little… odd?” she eyed her daughter, finally. “That’s the only way I can describe it.” Her eyes found Deanna. “Am I wrong?” before flying towards Caius and Sage. “Formality is one thing, but this just feels…”

“Eager.” Deanna finished, lifting her eyes to eye everyone in the room. “Like a long walk for a short drink of water.”
“Exactly!” Alejandra snapped her fingers enthusiastically. “Like when they put those big inflatables on stores simple because there’s a ‘special going on’ or ‘a new sandwich’ or something!”

“Considering who is part of this chapter… and enjoying our misery.” Caius spoke up, the man’s face a look of contemplation across his dark features, though his eyes didn’t meet anyone else’s. He did not need to mention any names, for Raphael Alden was the first name that came to all their minds – the wealthy member showing his ‘hand’, as it were, months ago, clearly enjoying the misfortune of this Alden ‘family’ – though Selena refused to be seen as little more than an unwilling participant. “I’d say that this fits the bill.” Caius finished. “Raphael might just be rubbing it in our faces.”

“I agree with Deanna, Selena and Allie.” Sage remarked, surprising the standing Frost. “The full-fledged, decorated letter? A simple email or whatever would have worked. Why all this ‘pomp’?”

“Do you guys get these?” Deanna held up the black envelope towards Sage specifically, earning a shake of the head from the raven-haired woman.

“We do… but those-“ she pointed to Deanna’s hands. “Those are meant for big events. I mean massive anniversaries, huge parties – we’re talking like-“

“The return of a ‘fledging’ soul and the trial of that Alden? ‘Come one, come all’ and see the public flogging of Alejandra Alden?’”

All eyes turned to the deadpan remark made my Selena, the Snow Queen remaining unfazed by her words, merely scanning the room to see everyone’s reactions. Deanna’s was a ‘knowing tired’, Sage and Caius were guilt-ridden, Alejandra was shocked at her daughter’s lack of tact, and Freya was… seemingly unfazed.

“The point is… there’s usually just a flyer in an email for these kind of things. Something just sent to the families. This… it’s a lot for something very common.” Sage finished.

“Which is why it’s odd, mother.” Alejandra explained to Freya. “Like it’s making a big deal or a big show for us.”

“It is odd, child…” Freya replied, a bit too curt for Selena’s liking. “Because you have not attended any of these festivals in decades.” The remark caused a slight tick to appear in Alejandra’s jaw, the woman clenching her teeth together and sitting back in her chair, opting for silence.

Her daughter was not so silent.

“No.“ Selena almost spat, seeing the older woman’s withered expression shift over to regard her. “It’s odd because neither my mother and I are idiots. And after spending those ‘decades’ being chased and hunted by people with guns and murderous intent, you’ll see that we’ve developed a, somewhat, cautious nature about rushing into obvious traps!”

Freya said nothing a first, the ‘matriarch’ of this particular ‘Alden’ family choosing to simply adjust her long, black, short-sleeve floral dress, Selena, momentarily, taking in the black rose-and-thorn decorations along the hem of the long skirt. It was a stark contrast to the black jeans and dark-red shirt she wore, her hair fastened into the braid she loved to wear.

Once more, Selena spotted Deanna sitting in the corner out of the corner of her eye, the redhead’s hands subconsciously turning the black envelope this way and that.

The cause of all this… Selena thought. The letter was a formal invitation to one of the Alden family’s ‘witchcraft’ festivals – she knew that wasn’t the technically correct name for it, but she didn’t care. It was the last thing she needed at this point.

She knew she was irritated more than she usually was. It seemed to be an easy state for her to be in these days, especially at work. Every week over in SCW, something was happening to just add more crap on top of the shitstorm that was her career lately. If it wasn’t Kandis proclaiming she had ‘slept her way to the top’ or O. choosing CHBK, rather than Aaron Demitria (again, a man that had done the right thing last Breakdown in protecting the talent and fans by ruling out the main-event as a no contest, much to Selena’s irritation), to Ace Marshall – Ace FUCKING Marshall of all people – being inducted into the Hall of Fame, and after her sister-in-arms, Regan Street!

How the fuck did they get that order?! Selena thought angrily. Did he sleep with someone too?!

It was the ‘order’ that annoyed Selena more than anything. Her sister’s accolades and years of service in SCW trumped anything the ‘seasonal’ Ace did, yet who had gone last?! Maybe she would have liked to have been the one to induct her sister into the Hall of Fame, but David Helms was the obvious choice there too! It would have been no different if she had chosen Deanna to induct her. Speaking of which and if nothing else… came the bitter thought, almost in a mental-voice not quite her own – almost nightmarish. If Ace is headed there, it’s only a matter of time before you go in too.

She clamped down on the thought, not feeling the elation/security that such ‘knowledge’ would probably provide anyone else thinking it. That wasn’t the point! That shouldn’t have ever been the point! The Hall of Fame, like the SCW world title, was supposed to be prestigious! It was supposed to be something that people earned and achieved after a career of incredible accolades and moments in SCW’s studded history! The ‘logic’ she had just employed shouldn’t have even been necessary! She was going to get in some day because she was one of the best wrestlers in SCW history! After winning the world title tournament and securing her place at the Rise to Greatness main-event for the third time in a row, a lot of Discord had echoed similar statements (some begrudgingly).

No denying she’s The Face of SCW now.
Greatest superstar in SCW history? Or HERstory?

Social media had alight with similar remarks, whether they liked Selena now or were sick of her. Not only her accolades and tournaments, but the longest world title reign and now this? It was undeniable, and it created a sense of pride in Selena – which is why seeing someone like Ace Marshall enter the Hall of Fame or hearing someone like Kandis keep bragging about how she screwed her way into the most important Rise to Greatness main event of all time infuriated her beyond measure! Even now, she could feel the familiar sensation of her blood beginning to boil just at the thought. The whole thing made it all seem so… fucking cheap! Her mind barked darkly, trying to push the thought-train into the back of her mind now, forcing herself to calm back down. She would deal with all of that later.

“Regardless of the situation.” Freya’s voice spoke out, regaining the attention of all within the room. “We all will be attending this festival.”

“The hell we will.” Selena immediately barked out, not quite out of the woods with her ‘blood-boiling’. “If most of us are in agreement that it’s ‘odd’, or in my case, a damn TRAP, why the hell would we spring it?!”

“Selena…” Deanna tried, but was ignored by the standing woman, the platinum-blonde choosing to pace a few steps in her own ‘space’.

“How dumb is that, Freya?” Selena asked, eyeing the woman. “I don’t care about your ‘formalities’ and ‘outlooks’. I’m not walking my mother or my wife into something like this!”

“If you don’t.” Freya eyed the woman with a noticeable look of disdain – clearly not pleased with the defiance in her granddaughter. “It will reflect badly on us.”

“Oh, whoopie dee doo!” Selena shot back. “People are going to dislike you a little more than they already do! I deal with that at work every time I walk into a building! Get over it!” she added with authority. “I’m already studying to be a damn witch for you guys. You guys can look like fools for a change!”

“Selena…” Alejandra tried now, but, like Deanna, was mostly ignored by Selena beyond a quick glance and a short-

“No!” the Snow Queen pressed. “Last time we did one of these, the three of us got roped into this mess! Why the hell would we give them that opportunity to hurt or embarrass us or, hello!, make things worse?!” She was met with silence. “Someone tell me, please. Because if even one of you can give me a legitimate reason why we should do this other than ‘we’ll look bad otherwise’-“ she eyed Freya. “Or ‘it’s the right thing to do’-“ her eyes flew to Deanna, seeing the redhead bite her lower lip to avoid a snarky remark. “Then I’d LOVE… LOVE to hear it!”

Still, the silence persisted. “Nothing?” she asked. “No plan on how to turn this in our favor? No idea of how this will help Deanna, mother or I? The people saving your skins in this chapter that we don’t even want to be in?! Come on guys!” She mocked towards Caius, Sage, and Freya. “We’re here and doing this for you!”

Despite this display – which even Selena could admit (albeit privately and only to herself) that she was laying it on a little thick – there was still only silence that she was met with, which was oddly satisfying to the Snow Queen.

“That’s what I thought.” She half-growled before leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest as she sat on the windowsill, taking a brief break for herself to, once more, cast her eyes through the glass to the outside. The awkwardness from her outburst was strongly felt, even by her, but she didn’t want to do anything to stop it. Far as she was concerned, this was warranted. She had never asked to be roped into this family-drama – having had her fill with Killjoy for over a year! Even now, she was SUPPOSED to be working on saving SCW’s legitimacy/integrity by retaining the world title at Rise to Greatness, and her wife was supposed to be working towards becoming United States Champion – not discussing plans on some ‘witches’ ball’ or whatever this was!

For a brief moment, Selena stole an unseen glance at her beloved wife. To say that things were still… ‘prickly’ was the only word she could think of… between the Frost wives since their spat would have been a slight understatement. Had Selena gone too far? Yes. For the umpteenth time, the platinum-blonde had suffered another outburst of frustration, similar to the ones she had shown in SCW, everything getting to her more and more as the days passed. And, in that frustration, she had thrown Deanna’s ‘lack of an RTG match’ right back into the redhead’s face.

And why? Selena reminded herself bitterly. Because of this stupid witchcraft thing! Maybe that was why she was being so disagreeable with the Aldens. Because it was affecting her marriage even worse than SCW was. In SCW, they were united. The House of Frost! Yes, Deanna wasn’t a fan of Selena’s outbursts – even the Snow Queen could attest to a few that she ‘shouldn’t have had’… but at the very least, they were united in doing good for SCW and its integrity, which any idiot could see was in rapid decline in the past year thanks to the likes of Allocco, Kandis, Lexy Chapel, Ace Marshall, Rayvn Taylor, even, to a lesser extent, Kimberly Williams!

Still, Selena HAD crossed a line and been too proud – or perhaps too scared – to take it back. Perhaps that was why Deanna had done what she had done. Not only had the younger woman brought a new fire to her wrestling – beating Adam Allocco a second time, but also beating Luz AND Kimberly Williams in a fatal-fourway – but she had been given her chance (at long last) at the United States title… on the RTG preshow.

Gods, it had all happened so fast… Selena had been steaming - ranting and raving in her changeroom about CHBK being the guest-referee in her world title match against Kandis - only to have the door fly open and Deanna proclaim that only did she have a U.S title match on the preshow, but she was going to be on the main show too, pulling double-duty in a match against Alexis Quinne!

Double duty on the biggest pay-per-view of the year… against TWO former world champions…

Is she trying to prove something?! Selena thought for a brief second, her ‘hidden glance’ still on her wife, who was, in the span of the few seconds since Selena’s outburst against the Aldens, seemingly trying to choose her next words. The redhead’s decision had surprised Selena. Yes, she was proud and excited for her wife – Deanna deserved a shot at such a title after the weeks of beating some of the biggest names in SCW. That was a given. But why the second match? Why risk injury or… even if she did beat Bree Lancaster and took the United States title… why risk the humiliation of a ‘one-night reign’? Her sister, Regan, had suffered that years ago at Riding the Lightning back in 2013 with the world title, a night the Hellcat had disclosed to the Snow Queen, had haunted her for years afterwards. Glory Braddock, to this day, still was haunted by her short reign as the world champion, lasting only minutes in that gauntlet match two years ago. Why would Deanna risk this on herself so early in her career?

Because of you, idiot! her mind mocked, further adding to the turmoil in Selena’s core. There was no denying it – the metaphorical writing on the wall. Deanna had wanted to be on the main card of Rise to Greatness more than anything, practically. But she had quickly become, in the past few months, the ‘voice of reason’ in their family. Even now, the platinum-blonde could see her wife still working her ‘mental-gears’, thinking of a way to jump in and get everyone in the room back on the same page after the platinum-blonde’s outburst. Normally, Selena was sure, Deanna would have, begrudgingly, taken the preshow match but focused on all it could be if she won it and became the United States champion. It would be her sole focus over anything else!

But Selena had pushed her with their argument…

No, getting on the main card was one thing, but this kind of stupidity? The kind that even someone like Bree Lancaster wasn’t ‘rushing into’ despite also being double-booked? This was because of her. The was Deanna sticking it to Selena to make her eat crow. She could see it in her wife’s eyes – that mental image of the two of them standing with their titles – just as they had last year before Selena had fucked it up by losing the world title – just part of her constant regret of doing so. Taking photos with their children over their ‘shinies’… Deanna standing a little straighter, her smile a little wider – having competed and won two matches where Selena had (smartly! Selena thought quickly) chosen to remain focused on the world title and the future of SCW coming out of its historic 20th RTG event.

All because of me… She almost exhaled too loudly, the guilt edging on her senses. Still, she remained silent – the tirade of her thoughts taking only a minute or two before Deanna’s voice was heard.

“So…” the redhead tried. “This festival of Lughnasad.” She eyed all the members of the Alden family before settling on Freya. “That’s the festival for the harvest, right? Celebrating Lugh?”

Selena’s eyes drifted over to Freya just in time to see the older woman raise an eyebrow at her wife’s remark – but it wasn’t of annoyance but of genuine surprise, slight as it was, without any presence of a ‘backhand slap’.

“Very good.” Freya spoke slowly, her dark eyes finding Selena once more. “I see someone has been keeping up their studies.” THERE IT IS! Selena smirked, shaking her head at her grandmother but choosing not to take any bait from the old woman.

“Yes, child.” Freya continued, her eyes back on Deanna after a moment. “Lughnasad celebrates a bountiful harvest as well as the god, Lugh.”

“That would be the god of blacksmithing, wheelmaking and… fighting!” Deanna recited, her face scrunching up as if to recall from her studies. “Hey! You’d like him, Selena!” She tried to joke, earning a knowing head tilt and smile from Selena. “You and fighting go hand in hand-combat!”. She stuck her tongue out at her own terrible joke.

Gods you both infuriate me and give me reason to get up in the morning. Selena thought, eyeing her wife. I fucking love you so much… She said none of these words, but the teasing smile on Deanna’s face made it clear to the platinum-blonde that she had ‘heard’ them.

“There is feasting, arts and crafts-“ Freya explained a bit louder to regain all attention.
“The kids will love that!” Deanna remarked, though Freya did not lose her stride.
“Pies are baked, a lovely ritual is performed.”

Selena opened her mouth, ready to launch some barb about ‘sacrificial rituals’ and ‘the blood of a goat’ but she spied Alejandra giving her a sharp look, her mother glaring the Snow Queen into silence. That accomplished, the exiled VanHohenheim returned her attention to the group.

“From what little I remember, Lughnasad was one of my favorite festivals. There was…” she snapped her fingers. “I remember there being some kind of grain or corn maze… Something like that.”

“The Alden-Brickers family.” Caius reminded, a ghost of a smile tracing over his lips.
“Right!” Alejandra nodded in remembrance. “Are they-“

“Morrison Bricker passed away eight years ago.” Caius sighed a little sadly. “But the family still hosts the celebrations every year.”

Despite herself, Alejandra’s face flashed an almost pleasant expression – perhaps a fond memory she had not thought of in years flitting across her mind. It did not go unnoticed by Selena, but the Snow Queen said nothing, instead hearing Caius’ continued words.

“Last year, there was even a handfasting!” he remarked. “Quite the event.”

Again, Selena saw Deanna eyeing her, probably because the topic of her upcoming paper for class had just been spoken. She was saved from having to speak by her grandmother, similarly, eyeing her daughter.

“I assume you didn’t perform the ceremony with your husband?” the withered woman remarked, more in sarcasm than actual curiosity. To it, Alejandra sighed.

“I didn’t see the point. Jonathan and I were married quietly at a city hall. All legal.”

“And cold and impersonal.” Freya shook her head. “Your father and I, when we were handfasted, was a glorious and happy occasion!” for a moment, her eyes seemed to dim. “We were so young and yet, meant for each other.” Snapping out of the ‘trance’ almost immediately, dark-colored eyes then refocused back on Selena. “I assume you also quietly married?”

“Well…” she eyed Deanna, who merely smiled knowingly, the ‘prickliness’ they were enduring temporarily at a truce. “You ever see the film ‘My Big, Fat Greek Wedding?”

“No.” Freya answered.
“Yes.” Everyone else answered.

“Well, just replace the word ‘Greek’ with ‘lesbian’ and you get an idea.” Selena half-laughed.
“But I’ve never seen the movie.” Freya stated flatly.
“Mother.” Caius remarked. “She means it was a big wedding with lots of people.”

“Well…” Freya shrugged her shoulders. “Least there’s that. But no handfasting?”

“Considering we didn’t even know any of you or that witchcraft was in my history, Freya?” Selena eyed her grandmother in annoyance. “No. There was no one tying string around our hands with an ‘Ooom pa pa!’”

“That’s not how it…”
“I know it’s not.” Selena interrupted Freya with a roll of her eyes. “But I hate dumb questions.”

There was brief stare down between the two heads of their family – Alden and Frost – only to be broken again by the ‘voice of reason’, Deanna.

“Freya, there is one thing I couldn’t quite find in my studies.”

Slowly, the dark-colored woman turned her head towards the young woman. “What’s that, child?”

“Well, harvest and baking and crafting – yeah I found all of that. And that made sense, but how did the Aldens celebrate Lugh as the god of fighting?” she quickly backpedalled. “Not that I want to, but like I said-“ she gestured to Selena. “My wife is the fighter more than I am and I was curious.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Selena smirked. “You’re as much a fighter as I am now, Ms. Double-Duty.”

A stern eye from Deanna this time caused Selena to backoff with a roll of her eyes. Ignoring her granddaughter, Freya waited for the small exchange between wives to end before speaking.

“The answer, my dear, is Holmgang.”

“Holmgang?” Deanna tried the word for herself, letting it roll on her tongue. It sounded like ‘home’ and ‘going’.

“Sounds like some kind of GPS system.” Selena remarked with a shrug of her shoulders.

“It is…” Freya tried to explain. “A sort of duel declaration.”
“Like slapping someone in the face with a glove?” Deanna asked.

“Something like that.” Freya nodded. “A challenge is made, the combatants meet on an agreed upon ground, with agreed upon rules and weapons.” She shrugged. “We sometimes have ‘playful duels’ like that during the festival – some Aldens brought it forward generations ago but it’s not necessary.”

“Why not?” Deanna asked.

“Maybe because it’s a fight to the death.” Selena teased. “Wish I had a few of those in SCW.” She muttered under her breath, easily thinking of a few people she wouldn’t mind seeing beaten to within an inch of their lives.

“A true Holmgang WAS a fight to the death.” Remarked Freya. “Back then. Now? If invoked, the charter insists on a duel only till one yields or loses outright.”

“How does one lose outright?” Deanna asked, eyeing everyone in the room, earning a laugh from Selena.
“Told you she was as much a fighter as me.” The Snow Queen remarked.

“I’m just curious.” Deanna shot back, earning an almost sympathetic smile from Freya, though the oldest woman turned her head to Alejandra.

“Daughter?” She urged, testing. “Have you forgotten the old ways so much?”

Taking a deep breath, VanHohenheim rolled her shoulders back. “From what I remember, modern-day Holmgang – legit duelling and not just in celebration – involved dull swords or knives so as not to cut or hurt. Combatants were sworn to yield in one of two ways…” she took a moment, her eyes fluttering up to the ceiling as if searching her memory in the white expanse. “Either you caught your opponent in what was a ‘killing position’, as in if the weapons were real, you’d be dead, or the opponent struck ten clear blows on their opponent. Once either was done, the pinned or struck opponent must yield and accept defeat.”

Slightly begrudgingly, Freya offered her daughter a slight nod of her head before turning her attention back to the Frosts. “The matter would then be resolved and the winner receive their agreed upon prize.”

“So grown men playing with dull swords and wooden knives?” Selena half-chuckled, but deep down, she almost envied the simplicity. How easy would it be if she could just do that? While Kandis was a coward and an egomaniac, her power was not to be underestimated. The Starmaker and the Gratuitous – both were moves that could, potentially, knock Selena out, just as Selena had The Glass Shard, Defying Gravity and Moonsault. But where Kandis was more of a power wrestler than Selena, there was no denying who was the smarter, more strategic fighter in the ring. Kandis was like a bull in a china-shop, using her size and power to get ahead. But against smarter opponents like Adam Allocco or Glory Braddock? She clearly struggled.

How easy would it be to win if all I had to do was hit her ten times or put her in a ‘fatal position’ while she rampaged around the ring? Selena thought.

“It’s not done very often these days.” Caius remarked. “Maybe as some fun game or display-“ he turned his head to his sister, amused. “Remember that guy that wanted to ‘fight anyone’ to prove his love for you? What was his name?”

Sage rolled her eyes at her sibling. “Warren. And don’t remind me.” She groaned a little to prove her point.

“Someone fought for your heart?” Deanna asked. “Sounds romantic.”
“Creepy is more like it.” Sage shook her head. “Dude was way too much. Sending cards, rude emails, just… uhhh.” She shivered a little at that.

“So, how did you get rid of him?” Selena asked, clearly amused by this story.

“I was the one that fought him.” Sage smiled. “He didn’t want to be near me after I beat him into the ground.”

“Wait- so women can challenge too?” Deanna asked in surprise.
“Well, not originally.” Freya stated. “And it’s not the most… looked-well upon notion… but present-day? Yes.”

“Ha!” Deanna laughed. “I knew it fit you!” she added, throwing the line to Selena.

“Doesn’t matter.” Selena rolled her eyes. “We’re not going.”

“But, Selena…” Caius tried. “This could go a long way to solving-“

“And it could be a short way to another entrapment by Raphael.” Selena countered. “Look, we had a deal, alright? I do this witchcraft thing, you leave my family alone from then on out. Nowhere did we agree to us showing up for festivals, partaking in parties, watching duels, handfasting – none of it, okay?!”

Her frustration had been bubbling since she had called this meeting with them to discuss the invitation. She had wanted a way out of this! A way to ignore this! But the Aldens had been useless! They were trying to get her to actually go! To put her family in danger yet again! To distract her from what she was needed most to do! SCW…

“I have…” she breathed harshly. “Quite possibly the most important match in my career. Everything I believe in – everything I have worked for – stands on the brink of collapsing! The very company I’ve helped build for the past decade is probably changing hands to a corrupt owner as we speak. The people I have worked with – people I care for and respect so much – they are in danger too! I don’t…” she eyed everyone in the room. “I don’t have the time to save all of them and you!”

Without another word, Selena marched out of the room and out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Immediately, the sounds she had barely heard from behind the glass-window filled her ears. The birds, the wind, the few cars driving by, they all filled her hearing as she moved further away from the house to sit in her mother’s garden, surrounded by the beautiful, colorful flora her mother planted every year.

Why? Why did it always have to be her? Why did it always have to be her sacrificing something for someone else? Why did it always have to be her putting something she loved on the line?

Her hair.
Her name.
Her nickname.
Her wife and family.
Her own safety.
Her beliefs.

Time and time again, she had been dragged in to fight and risk so much… and for what? SCW was going to be sold anyway! Nothing she could do could change that! Half of SCW hated her because she refused to relent on representing integrity! And now, on the 20th anniversary of Rise to Greatness, the very main-event was drowning in controversy!

There was no Owen.
There was no other Cruze.
There was no Street.
No Alistaire Allocco.
Nobody… except her.

“Why does it always have to be me?” she whispered, feeling her whole body shake with the emotions. “Can’t someone else save SCW for once?”

Or save my stupid family for once?!

Angrily, her head lifted up to gaze at the house, the side she was facing having no windows for others to peer through. Another party. Another trap to walk into. Another event of being ‘the target’.

No. She refused. Not this time. There was too much at stake for her to lose focus on SCW now. There was too much on the line for her to be distracted over some stupid ‘formality’ or ‘looking good’ in the eyes of strangers that she didn’t even know!

Bree was still in SCW. So was Datura. And Glory. And Light in the Darkness. And Nicole Kinneck. And Simon Lyman. And Amy Chastaine, and those that still believed in the SCW Universe… That was just off the top of Selena’s head.

As long as they were there, she couldn’t let the ship that was SCW sink. She couldn’t let so much history and…and hope… disappear in one night. She just couldn’t. She’s go down with it if she had to!

Because if it came down to the Aldens ‘reputation’ - even her own - and the survival of SCW… it wasn’t even hard for the Snow Queen to know which she would choose to save.

I’ve gone too far to turn back now… she thought, her mental-voice taking on a darker, familiar tone from her nightmares. And I refuse to see it all fall apart…

Not again.

_______________________________________________________________

The Royal Letter

The camera opens up to the interior of a study, one that is familiar to the ‘Royal Letter’ segment. This is the office of Selena Frost, the SCW world champion. If the shelves of books lining the background is not enough of an indication, then the Snow Queen sitting in her throne chair is. She wears a striking, black business suit that seems to fit her curves just perfectly. A matching dress-shirt leaves the first few top buttons down to show her pale, yet lovely neck and collarbone. Her makeup is flawless and her hair is tied up tight in an upkept bun. Beside her, sitting prestigiously on a small table. Is the SCW world championship, propped up near her chair.

With one leg crossed over the other at the knee, the Snow Queen’s expression does not shift from its calm demeanor, a far cry to what the SCW Universe has seen throughout the year. Taking a deep breath, however, Selena seems to further calm herself.

I’m sure everyone is expecting me to start this off raging against any slight I’ve had to endure these past few months. She breathes. Complain about some injustice or just start off yelling at the camera. I know Kandis would love to see that. Another thing for her to take credit for like Ace Marshall and Ravyn Taylor have. “Oh, we’re breaking down Selena! We’re turning her!”

She almost laughs at that thought.

Do any of you have any idea how many people have tried that crap in the past near decade? How many people have declared up and down “oh! It’s gonna be me! I’m gonna be the one to break Selena! I’m living in her head! I’m gonna be the one to expose her! I’m the one that’s gonna be there to turn her heel!”

On and on it goes – even on nights as epic as Rise to Greatness! These promises and ‘guarantees’ from guys like Xander Valentine, Vixen Cain, all of Infamous. And yet… here I am. And where are they? I’m in the main-event of Rise to Greatness for a third time. I’m the world champion. I’m still showing integrity and fighting for SCW and all of the SCW Universe. Where the hell are they? Syren’s hiding in bear costumes to try and get a title shot. Xander’s risking his career just to stay relevant. Cain, Tommy, most of Infamous? All those that promised to ‘break Selena’?

Gone.

She sits back in her chair. It’s ridiculous… but… she breathes. To say I haven’t been more ‘volatile’ as the months have gone by and I’ve had to watch the integrity of the SCW world championship, hell, all of SCW as a whole, go down the proverbial crapper… would be dishonest.

Again, a slow inhale and exhale comes from the Snow Queen. And I don’t want to start off like that. Because this is Rise to Greatness! This is the biggest pay-per-view of the year during ANY year, but this? This is special! This is the 20th anniversary! We’ve got a Hall of Fame ceremony! We’ve got a preshow with massive implications to the main-card – SCW is pulling out all the stops for this weekend! You couldn’t ask for anything bigger or more deserving for SCW, Rise to Greatness, or all of you! she takes a moment to let her words settle in her quiet room.

But that’s why I wanted to make a statement, in front of the SCW Universe, and not be the woman of righteous-fury that I have been at the drop of a hat. No, that’s not how I want to start this off. I want to start this off like it’s meant to be.

With integrity. With strength. With courage and spirit.

Holding out a hand towards the camera, Selena takes a short moment to process her thoughts. Because that’s how I got here, right True Believers? Two years ago, when the world said ‘nobody can beat Cid Turner’? I said ‘watch me!’! A year later, when the world said the Holly Adams Brand had me pegged and at least one of them would beat me and ‘no way was Selena going to hold the world title longer than anyone else in history in order to headline Rise to Greatness again’, I said ‘watch me!’… her expression grows a little more serious… a little colder.

And a month and some ago, when the world said ‘no way Selena Frost could beat the man that took the title away from her. No way she can headline a third time’… I said ‘watch me’. she breathes. Make no mistake, SCW and True Believers, I am here because of my integrity, my strength, my courage, my spirit, my will, and because I refuse to see this main-event be anything BUT ‘Unbelievable’!

For a moment, the Snow Queen’s eyes flit over to the SCW world championship, her fingers reaching out to, almost lovingly, trace the golden plates and engravings on the title. I have given more than any other superstar here today for this title. I have faced more and overcome more than any person before me. Simply because I believe in this belt and this company and what both should represent. And there is no denying that I have clawed my way and earned my way to this historic main-event. A main-event that wouldn’t be ‘unbelievable’ or defining SCW without me or all of you. That isn’t ego. That’s just a fact.

Selena sighs, returning her gaze towards the camera. But that leaves my opponent. The controversial Kandis. A small tick is seen in Selena’s jaw as she speaks that name, but she fights it back. Now, Kandis, I’m not going to deal with all the drama and crap you’ve brought into this match just yet. I don’t want to start this off smearing this main-event with your declarations and whatever about how you got here.

She shakes her head. No, no, no, Kandis. You don’t get THAT Selena Frost just yet. Right now, you’re getting someone that, unlike you, cares about this match. Cares about people wanting to see this match. Cares about this being the biggest match of all time! I’m not gonna come here and run my mouth about ‘owning you’ or ‘having you’ or ‘living in your head’ or ‘the match is mine’ like you have.

No, Kandis. This is Rise to Greatness! We need to build to such big statements, don’t we? We need to reflect on all of this and that, don’t we? And I’m not going to Toronto to beat some nobody in the main-event. No! I know how good you are Kandis! Come on! You’ve done enough primping about how this match is ‘yours’ – you don’t get to that level of arrogance without SOMETHING to back it up.

Selena shrugs. I mean, multiple time tag-team champion. You’ve practically etched your name into the Hall of Fame with “The Connection”. Headlined pay-per-views, fought for this title, the superstars you’ve beaten, it’s quite a good list! Hell, you come back and you win not only the End of the Year Invitational but the Taking Hold of the Flame Royale! And outside the ring? One of the most unpredictable superstars in SCW – I’d say up there in your own right with Kimberly Williams! There’s no telling what you’re going to do next, is there? I mean… it’s not all that’s surprising what’s happened recently, but the fact that it’s happened? Selena blows out a whistle of an exhale.

My point is, Kandis, I’m not going to discuss the ‘how’ you got here yet. You’re here and that’s what’s important. You’re here, set to face me, on, easily, the most important main-event of my career – of my life. You’re here and that is set. Kandis vs. Selena Frost for the world championship at Rise to Greatness. A match… what?... A year and some in the making?

Taking a moment, Selena runs a pale finger against her eyebrow. But see, what gets me is that you’ve been going on and on since you got back about this match being ‘owed’ to you. That this tile shot was ‘owed’ to you. That this match is your ‘right’ and how you’d have ‘changed history’ if you had had it fifteen months ago, blah blah blah. She motions with her hand a little puppet for a moment.

Yeah, for months now we’ve heard this – all of this year we heard this, Kandis. That you had earned a shot and were coming to collect, right?

The thing is… that’s not how I remember it. she turns her head towards the camera.

Because, let’s rewind the clock a little here, Kandis. Let’s actually go back to your supposed ‘logic’ and your ‘right’ and the history that you claim has ‘shaped your destiny’. Lot of talk about that, Kandis, so let’s really go back. Late last year, 2022, the match that never happened. Your first one-on-one chance at the world championship.

Remind me… what match did you win to earn that match? What person did you beat? What contendership match did you prevail from to become the contender to my world title? Care to remind me? Selena takes a moment to pause.

Cause, if my memory serves me correctly – you HAD a chance to become world champion at last year’s Retribution in Double Jeopardy… and you failed in the first round. Then the following Breakdown, you came out to an open invitational by the House of Frost and promised to beat me. And you couldn’t do it – in fact, I dropped you with the Glass Shard to end it. Then, the week after that, you demanded a world title match off of that ‘draw’ and what was your logic?

“That you were the only person that wasn’t pinned at Double Jeopardy”… you know, other than the woman that won the damn match, right? An amused smile crosses Selena’s features. So, how did a woman that lost her last world title match, couldn’t get the job done in a tag match – her supposed ‘domain’ by the way – become number one contender to the greatest title in the world?

In a word…me. Selena tilts her head.

It was me that accepted the challenge. It was me that said I would face you, Kandis, despite having every reason to laugh in your face and tell you to get to the back of the line. I agreed to give you your chance. Not because you earned it. Not because you deserved it. But because, unlike you, I’m not gonna shrink from a challenge and then disqualify myself because “I win when I want to”. Or have you since deleted THAT Tweet too? Another smirk comes from the Snow Queen.

Like I said, Kandis, I know you’re good. I know you’re dangerous. You’ve managed in the span of the last few weeks to knock me to the ground, I’ll give you that. And I’ll even say you’re good enough to challenge for the world title. That’s a proven…

My reason for this letter is because, I really want to know if you think – as good as you are – if you really think you’re good enough to headline Rise to Greatness. Scratch that. I want to know, as good as you are, if you REALLY think you’re good enough to BE the SCW world champion.

Sapphire eyes jump from the world title, back to the camera. No, Kandis, I genuinely want to know. I want you to sit down and explain to me your logic of this calendar year. I want you to explain to me all about this ‘destiny’ and this being ‘your right’! More than that, I want to hear how you’re the one ‘holding all the cards’!

Because I find THAT particularly interesting, Kandis, that you can be so sure and so confident of such declarations considering who you’re going up against and where you’re headed…

Reaching over, Selena takes the title off the table, holding it in her lap. Let me ask you, Kandis? Have you ever won this title? she pauses, letting the question sit for a second before a smile breaks across her features. Okay, let me be a little ‘fairer’ with the woman that’s “holding all the cards”. Let me ask an easier question, Kandis.

Have you ever headlined a Rise to Greatness main-event? Again, another beat, but Selena’s tone grows colder. Oh, you want an easier question? Sure! I can do that, Kandis! Have you ever WON a singles match on the main card at Rise to Greatness?! Another fraction of silence.

Oh, you want easier still, Kandis! Fine! Let me dig at the bottom of the fucking well, here! Here you go: have you ever even HAD a singles match at Rise to Greatness?!

The last question sits in silence longer than the rest, the only sound is the Snow Queen’s single inhale and exhale.

Because I find it less and less ‘destiny’ and more and more stupidity and ego when you come out, say the same old proclamation over and over again when you’ve not done ANY of that. When, for the what? Three times you’ve fought at Rise to Greatness, it’s always been with Tommy Valentine holding your hand, right? Tommy Valentine protecting you right? Tommy Valentine handling half the work? Oh, and what was the record on THAT – your RTG record, Kandis – 1 win and 2 losses, one of those losses being against Regan and I? Yet, “you hold all the cards here”, right?

A bitter laugh escapes the Snow Queen. Let me make something clear for you, Kandis. Tommy Valentine isn’t going to be there to save you. You’re not going to have two, three, four or five people to hold your hand or distract me. You’re not going to have someone else in the match that you can pin and steal the win from. You’re going to be on your own! Against the very best in SCW today – bar none. You’re going to be in MY world, in a match you know nothing about – a match I have made mine three times now. A match you have had no experience in. Against a woman you’ve never pinned… she leans forward. The pressure couldn’t be any higher on you, Kandis.

Nonplussed, Selena gives a slight shrug of her shoulders as she sits back. Which, really, makes my question kind of stick, doesn’t it? Is Kandis REALLY ready to fight at the main-event of Rise to Greatness? Is Kandis really ready to be the SCW World champion? she tilts her head. Are you Kandis?

Because let’s take a minute and look at your track record, shall we? You got tired of the failed ‘guardians of the tag-team division’ schtick after your last reign was forgotten with ease – what was it? On your first defense? The very next pay-per-view, you lost those titles? You then tried rampaging through the singles division, but couldn’t quite make a splash there with anything other than a TV title reign that lasted – what? – 12 days, right? Then, you finally get a go at entering the world title picture, only to lose, and when you finally get your one-on-one world title chance to prove everything you’ve been bragging about – about your greatness? Your knee gives out. Your body quits.

And coming from someone that’s wrestled with fractured ribs, wrestled an iron-woman match with a smashed foot, and has scars all along my back, Kandis? Someone’s that gone nearly ten years in this business without an ‘off’ day?… Instead of finishing her statement, the Snow Queen gives a knowing shrug.

It seems that whenever things get tough for you, Kandis? You don’t ‘rise’ to the occasion like me or ‘win when you want to’. The more common situation is you either quit or your body quits under the pressure. Glory Braddock, last Breakdown, I could go on but the proof is there.

Yet, you say you say you’re gonna take what’s yours?

No, you’re not. You’re gonna crack under the pressure, you’re gonna make some dumb excuse, try and spin it and then when all that fails, you’re just gonna quit and run away because you CAN’T take it!

Me? I KNOW what I can take. I KNOW what I can do. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that I can be here, at this level for the third time. There is nothing I have to show or prove to anyone to convince even the most diehard “No! We Can’t” critics that I belong here. That what I fight for, integrity, deserves to be at the main display across every RTG banner, video and promo!

Can you say the same, Kandis? A knowing smile, a little darker than her others, graces Selena’s features. Cause if that was the case – you’d have been smart enough NOT to go through that door in the Chaos match and you’d be world champion already, wouldn’t you?

You’d be good enough to have beaten Adam Allocco in the world tournament and you’d be the world champion, wouldn’t you?

You… for a moment, the humor in Selena’s voice is suddenly replaced with a growing irritation, almost flinching as does her expression. If you were good enough, you wouldn’t have needed to sleep your way to the 40th spot…. her head lifts up, sapphire eyes glaring into the camera. Would you of, Kandis?

A bout silence falls for a few seconds, the world champion leaning forward. I want you to get back to me on this, Kandis. Before I pack my bags, get on my limo-bus, and ride all the way up to Toronto, I want to hear you tell me how ‘ready’ you are. I want you to remind me why you ‘hold all the cards’, Kandis. Why I should be so scared of losing the title I have worked all year to get back! I want you to make me BELIEVE, Kandis, that you really do ‘hold all the cards’!

Sapphire eyes narrow. Cause from where I am sitting? You’re only holding one hand of cards… and you’re bluffing!

Believe that, bitch. Selena tilts her head. See you in Toronto. Before lifting herself out of her throne chair, walking out of shot with the world title in her hand before the scene fades entirely to black.

[SnowQueenSCW]

OOC: Part 4

DISCLAIMER: The following is a work of fiction and not to be confused as complete or accurate representation of any beliefs, religions, etc. Please refer to research/articles by experts for that.

The Witches of Alden

”Intervention”

Fairmount Royal York Hotel
Toronto, Ontario
July 21st, 2023
6:02am

Selena’s head snapped up, the Snow Queen giving the barest gasp as she was ripped back into the conscious world, her sapphire eyes scanning the large suite wildly as she recovered from her nightmare. Without really ‘taking everything in’, her gaze swept over the white and black designs of the carpet, the white walls, couch, the beige curtains and the dark that rested beyond the window that was beside her as she sat on said couch.

How long had she been asleep? Immediately, her attention was thrown back to the glowing computer screen that stood before her, the laptop still aglow and on holding her previous activity of tabs, videos and word document. Selena ignored all of that, choosing instead to zero in on the clock at the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Twelve minutes… she mentally calculated, though even that felt exhausting to the Snow Queen, forcing her to rub her eyes with one hand/palm as she yawned quietly. However, a second yawn quickly saw her checking the few empty cans that surrounded the laptop, the platinum-blonde eyeing the empty white and silver Monster Zero drinks, even tapping a few of them to see if there was any that were even half-full.

A fruitless endeavor, she gathered, as she usually just downed the drink as soon as she opened it so she could refocus and get back to task. With a sigh, the world champion pushed herself off the couch, feeling her several different parts of her body pop or crack under the movement after being idle for so long…

How long? She didn’t want to process that just yet as she moved the few steps through the ‘lounge’ area of the master suite of the Fairmount Royal York Hotel, her feet aching a little as she reached the mini-fridge she had brought into the room upon ‘special request’. Opening the door, she pulled out another Monster Zero drink, lowering her count within the fridge to, it looked like, five.

I may have to get more. She thought to herself as she gave the can three taps on the top with her finger before opening it. That or have a heart-attack or something. She mentally added cynically before tipping the can up to drink from it. She didn’t feel any rush from the energy drink – they were usually a ‘shot in the dark’ in their effectiveness at this point. Sometimes they worked, other times they just made her more tired. Still, it would keep her up for a bit more time… I hope. she thought as she returned to the couch with her drink, eyeing the door that lead to the bedroom (where she knew Deanna was sleeping), followed by the window nearby her.

Quietly, her eyes took in the latter, seeing the Toronto towers and skyline. In many ways, the Canadian city was a lot like her home in Manhattan. So busy. Construction, people, an urban giant, as it were – though New York was SO much bigger than this place. Still, she could admire it… at least as much as she could in her exhausted state – the thought causing her to leave her ‘gazing’ to focus back on her screen, changing it over to the word document she had been working on.

Her last promo.

Another sigh escaped her as she gazed at the jumble of words before her, the page filled with random points and ideas about so much: SCW, Rise to Greatness, the world title, her history with both… Kandis.

Again, another sigh escaped her at the thought of her upcoming opponent, the platinum-blonde waiting for the energy drink to kick in as, with one finger, she impatiently, repeatedly clicked the ‘K’ button with her finger, watching it produce the letter on the screen over and over again.

She had lost track of how many hours she had put into this laptop, from watching videos to working on her promo script… and she only had another eight or so hours before she had to film her final ‘Frozen Central’ of the SCW season.

The schedule annoyed her. Usually, she would have waited till the day of the event as a sort of ‘set-up’ for the pay-per-view, but because of Rise to Greatness having not only its Pre-Show and Hall of Fame on the Saturday, which involved Deanna’s first match (the one for the United States Title, which Selena could not afford to miss), not to mention the meet-and-greets that she had to do through the weekend as part of the Rise to Greatness festivities, she had been forced to move her ‘filming time’ to earlier in the week – which now was later today…

And all she had was pages upon pages of rants to throw at Kandis.

With a sigh, Selena sat back against the couch. She had tried so hard to keep ‘calm’ and ‘composed’ throughout her first promo, everything she had done from choosing to film from her Manhattan home to being dressed in a black suit – a sort of metaphorical armor of ‘elegance’ to try and keep her composure – and yet she still had let a little of her frustration and rage seep through. And, yes, she was prepared to do that in the ring and to deal with Kandis accordingly… but it was getting harder and harder to focus on the most important task at hand!

Promoting the ‘Unbelievable Main Event III’ and then winning the damn match!

Another sigh and Selena gently pulled up the front of her baggy, black, ‘Skillet’ band t-shirt (a good two sizes larger than it needed to be to fit her lithe frame), pulling the garment up to wrap around the top of her head, creating a sort of ‘curtain’ in front of her eyes. Seeing only black, the Snow Queen sat further back against the couch, quietly breathing as she starred into the absence of color. She could just barely make out the glowing light of her laptop beyond the shirt-wall as she rocked back and forth against the back cushion.

She needed rest, and she knew it.
She needed to finish this promo, and she knew it.
She needed to settle things with Deanna so neither of them would be distracted for their matches, and she knew it.
She needed to win her match… and she knew it.

Since they had checked into the hotel a few days ago, Selena had lost track at how many nights she had spent out here, and how many times she had raided a convenience store or two to ‘refill’ her mini-fridge with energy drinks. But how could she do anything else? Everything was so… out of control! Worse than last year when she had face Adam Allocco. Sure, she hadn’t liked the man – still didn’t like him or even respect him – but at the time, things were decent! The fans were all for ‘integrity’ in SCW, the match was really ‘skill vs. skill’ and, while she had lost, there was, undisputedly, so much less pressure on her shoulders! Sure, she had wanted to retain, but if she had to lose the world title, going out at RTG being beaten cleanly? That was the way to go.

Not the case this time around. This time around, Kandis had played every trick to get inside Selena’s head, almost – if not on the level – of Ravyn, Xander and Vixen Cain, of all people. The SCW world was abuzz, not so much whether or not Selena could beat Kandis – there was little doubt that she was capable of that considering how far the Snow Queen had come this year to get back the world title, but rather she was going to ‘crack’ or not.

A scoff escaped the Snow Queen. “Crack…” she whispered into her shirt before pulling it back down off her head to, once more stare at the screen. She didn’t bother to erase the line of ‘K’s she had previously typed in her rut of silence, instead choosing to push the ‘up’ button to head the document to its beginning. Crack… that’s what people were talking about. Whether or not Selena Frost would ‘crack’ under all the crap and controversy and just… just…

She stopped her ascent of the document. She wasn’t even sure what she would do if she supposedly did ‘crack’. The notion had come to her after Mr. Drach- O.! she reminded herself with disdain at the SCW ‘boss’ – had chosen CHBK as the special guest referee for her match with Kandis. Gods, she had been so angry! How could O. have chosen him?! It made even less sense than Ace Marshall being in the goddamn Hall of Fame! At least, to some degree, Ace had accomplished SOME respectful things in SCW, like being the only person to win the Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royale twice, as well as other accolades – though she despised him as a person.

But CHBK?! There was NO sense in that! The man had been in Infamous’ pocket for how many years?! How many people had he screwed out of the world title? How many people had he lied to and cheated?! The man knew NOTHING of integrity and O. had chosen him?!

Of course Selena had been enraged! Here she was now, weeks later, and STILL unable to think about it without feeling herself getting worked up! She had marched down to the ring, gotten in both the faces of the old men and said…and said…

Well, she had said a lot, but when she had reached the point she had WANTED to discuss, what she would do if CHBK screwed her out of the ‘Unbelievable Main Event’, she had faltered. Because she…. She just didn’t know what she was going to. It was strange. Nothing about these last few months made sense to her. She kept feeling like she was living in some kind of madhouse with SCW or some warped episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’ where everything was backwards and kept shifting and shifting around! Maybe that was why she was having such difficulty doing what was, normally, easy for her in writing her promo. It wasn’t just about being stretched in so many different directions, putting out so many fires thanks to the controversies and whatever that SCW was swarming with… but because she didn’t know what she would do – or what her place would be – when this weekend was all over.

Was there even a place for her if she lost?

She wasn’t so sure anymore. After her loss last year, that had not even been a question. Of course there was! She could look after other divisions, giving the world title a break and letting others step up and take on the responsibility of keeping the standard where she had lifted it to in her record-breaking reign. She could team with Deanna and make The House of Frost tag-team champions, as well as helping her wife be a better singles wrestler in the ring. There had been so many options available to her after last year’s Rise to Greatness and, for the most part, she had been excited for all of them.

Now? Like a few weeks ago, she didn’t know what she was going to do if she lost. Imagining Adam Allocco as world champion back in June had been hard enough, but Kandis? A woman with no class, morals, or integrity? Running around with the title being wrapped around her ass?! After everything she had said, bragged about, the scandals-

Selena shook her head, again feeling her blood boiling at the thought, her hands reaching up to rub at her temples in irritation, until the emotion eventually settled back into the sadness over the unknown.

Was there a place for her in an SCW that rewarded superstars like that? Did Selena even want to be in a place where that was considered ‘acceptable’? No. She had always been so… so proud to be an SCW superstar. Yes, she hadn’t started with the most talent or ability – hell, a glorified power ranger had beaten her in her first match nearly ten years ago. She had been so green and inexperienced, she was surprised she had lasted the first month without being called out on her ‘lack of ability’. But, as the months and years passed and she kept working at it, training for it, and seeing it for the honor that it was – being an SCW superstar – she had learned to not only love SCW and the SCW Universe, but to see it as something… special. Something to aspire to. To inspire others.

Again, O.’s words rang in her head. The idea that SCW was changing now. That it was becoming something else. That people didn’t want to see SCW as something ‘supreme’ or something to ‘aspire to’ anymore. They wanted chaos, scandals, and controversy…

Again, the question still remained: did that mean that there was no place in SCW for a woman like Selena?

Her finger stopped its clicking against the ‘up’ key as her eyes spotted something unusual. Something she hadn’t seen. Before her, on the laptop screen, was a massive paragraph of run-on sentences and spelling errors. It was almost disgusting how many misspelled words there were before her, still, Selena gazed at it, her eyes still able to make out the words and sentences as she read aloud quietly.

“Is it so hard to see you can’t compete, Kandis?” she read. “I mean, our accolades alone put me at a level higher than you. You could try for another ten years and you’d STILL not be able to measure up. And that isn’t a slight on you or your accomplishments! That’s just how good I am.”

What was this? When had she written this part of her promo?

“I see it. More important, I know you see it. That’s why you’ve needed these games, Kandis. Cause you know you can’t beat me. You’ve known it all along. Hell, I’d wager that little ‘injury’ of yours last year? Like your little ‘sleeping to get 40’. Never really happened. You did it because, let’s face it, you didn’t WANT to face me!”

“What the hell…” Selena whispered as she eyed the screen. This wasn’t her style of promo. Sure, she could discredit a little, but this was flat-out burial!

“You’re not on my level, Kandis. Nobody is. That’s why Ace needed an army to get past me. That’s why Allocco got past you without needing to cheat. That’s why I beat him soundly where you couldn’t. That’s why I am here for a third time, while you’re just trickling in. You think they’re cheering you? Those people? No…no… they’re not cheering you. They’re just booing me.”

For a moment, Selena tilted her head, her eyes still scanning the words on the screen. “Face it, Kandis. You’re good for a couple minutes of porn-watching for a little ‘release’. That’s what YOU’RE good at. But me? Listen to them! ‘We Believe! No, we don’t! We Believe! No, we don’t!’. They’re so divided! And those that don’t believe hate me so much that they’ll ‘settle for anybody’. Allocco, Ace, Ravyn… You’re just the ‘stand-in’ for these people, Kandis. By next month, when the new season begins, they won’t care what happens to you. They’ll care what happens to me, but they’ll just be cheering the next person in my way – hoping I get beat and made to shut the fuck-“

“That doesn’t sound like you at all.”

Selena’s voice dropped as her head jerked up to see the woman standing in the doorway, the bedroom behind her. She wore black shorts like Selena, but a gray t-shirt that was also a little big for her. Her hair was a red lion’s mane. All over the place; the woman scratching it with her hand to try and get it to settle.

“I…I know…” Selena sighed as she eyed the screen. “I must have been half-asleep when I wrote this.”

Or I did… Selena ignored the stray thought in her head. She didn’t want to deal with the nightmares right now. She didn’t want to deal with the ‘Snow Queen’ she kept seeing in her mind ever since that ‘drug trip’ almost two months ago. She just… didn’t. Quickly highlighting the entire paragraph blurb, the platinum-blonde hit delete, watching it all disappear in a second, allowing her to breath a sigh of relief.

“You’ve…” she heard the redhead spoke as the woman quietly made her way around the table to sit beside Selena on the couch. “You’ve never insulted the fans before. Saying they ‘settle’?”

A sigh escaped Selena. “I don’t…” she shook her head. “I must have been half-out of it.” She admitted. “I keep falling in and out of sleep.”

“How much have you slept?” came the inevitable question, causing the older Frost to sigh knowingly.
“Not as much as I should.” She admitted. “I’m really behind on this. And I’m shooting the last promo today.”
“Me too.” Deanna shrugged. “Mind if I use the bus?”

“You don’t want to use the arena catwalks?” Selena asked, turning a tired expression to eye her wife, who merely shook her head at her.
“You’ve got Frozen Central.” Deanna reasoned. “I’ll make do.”

“I… I guess.” The platinum-blonde shrugged before returning her gaze to the computer and the pages upon pages of notes, passages, and lines she had written over the last few nights of work, looking for any more ‘musings’ from her nightmare.

“Do you really think that?” the question came from Deanna.
“Do I really think what?” Selena asked, keeping her eyes on the computer screen.
“That the fans are really just booing you rather than cheering for someone like Kandis?”

It was an honest question, and despite her tired/caffeinated state, Selena could still see the value of its existence. With a huff of an exhale, she sat back against the couch, once more rubbing her eyes with one hand. “It’s not so much as I entirely believe it.” She tried to explain. “But there is some validity to it.” She gave a sigh.

“Think about it. A month ago, they were booing Kandis out of the damn building. Nobody cared about her whining. Now? She’s number one contender and they’re cheering her. What’s the X factor? She’s facing me. Same thing with Allocco-“

“That isn’t…” Deanna tried.

“He fucking ran over his kid, Deanna. He’s a womanizing bastard. He’s booed sick ways to hell most of the time, like when he faced Owen. Faces me? Cheered. Ace Marshall and Ravyn Taylor. Attacking other tag-team teams from behind and doing these shit-shows? Booed while the great teams like Amelia and Luz, Bree and Datura? Cheered. They face us? Cheered.”

“Okay, but that’s-“

“It’s me, Deanna.” Selena sighed. “And to a lesser extent you, but that’s because of your association with me.” She sighed. “O. warned me this was happening. That SCW was changing and I… I didn’t want it to. I still don’t want it to. And until I can’t fight it anymore, ‘keep fighting’ is all I can do. Even if I’m hated for it.”

“But it makes the fans sound so…fickle.” Deanna shrugged, the redhead clearly not comfortable with the idea. Selena, however, only gave a much calmer shrug.

“Maybe they are.” She sighed with no emotion. “They have that luxury to be. Cause they know someone like me is still around trying to raise the bar when they want it to be raised.”

“Okay – THAT was not you, either.” Deanna pressed, unknowingly creating a spike of irritation within Selena. “That doesn’t sound like you, either, I mean.”

“You know what’s not like you, Deanna?” Selena asked, turning her head towards her wife. “Challenging Raphael Alden to holmgang and trapping us into attending that stupid festival.”

“No.” Deanna hissed. “Don’t turn this around on me. We’ve already talked about that to death! I’m sorry, okay?! I got fooled just like you did! I got played just like you did!”

“You’re not supposed to get ‘played’!” Selena countered, her voice breaking a little from the exhaustion. “You’re supposed to be the voice of reason here.”

“Why?!” Deanna asked, pushing herself to her feet. “Why do I have to be the voice of reason? Why do I have to be the mature adult all the time? Are you incapable of acting like one?!”

Selena’s jaw clenched as she watched her wife pace around the room.

“Why can’t I make reckless decisions?” she continued, her emerald eyes scanning around the large hotel suite. “Why can’t I take risks? Why can’t I be the one hurting while YOU look after me?! Aren’t you seven years older than me?! Why do I have to be the most ‘grown-up’ out of the two of us? Aren’t you the more experienced wrestler? Why do I have to be the one to make you see reason in SCW?! After everything you’ve been through – that WE’VE been through?!”

Selena could hear the cracking in Deanna’s voice, a mixture of stress and exhaustion, much like her own. Feeling her own exhaustion – clearly the energy drink not helping her at all – Selena rested her head in her hand.

“You’re killing yourself over some idealism, Selena.” Deanna pressed. “You’re making yourself miserable because of your own standard!”

“And what is the alternative, Deanna?” Selena asked, finally turning her head to glare at Deanna. “I just let everyone do whatever the hell they want? Let Kimberly have her chaos matches! Let Ace and Ravyn use an all their friends to keep their tag-title reign intact! Let Kandis sleep her way to every accolade or whatever! Let O. sell the company to a greedy bastard that will just ruin it! That what I should do?”

“Why do you have to worry about them?” Deanna asked. “That’s not how this all began. When you became world champion again, all you wanted was to ‘show a better standard’, right?”

Selena sat back, inhaling and exhaling deeply. How fucking beautiful were things back then? She had never believed that she could hold the world title longer than anyone else, or beat the entire Holly Adams Brand, or even headline Rise to Greatness a second time. She had just… wanted things to be better. Not because they had to be, but simply because they could be. It was about showing a standard – a better standard – to make SCW better. To make the wrestling better and make it the focus of what SCW was supposed to be about.

Not ambushes. Not politics. Not controversy. But about wrestling.

“We were supposed to inspire.” Deanna stated. “That’s what this was all about. But lately… you just seem to want to yell and them them they’re wrong. That ‘this isn’t integrity. That isn’t integrity.’. That isn’t a choice, Selena. That’s you trying to impose your standard.”

BECAUSE IT’S THE ONLY ONE THAT IS A STANDARD!

Biting back on the remark that blazed into her thoughts, Selena inhaled deeply again. “Would you rather we be part of a company that’s known for ‘porn stars being world champion’ and ‘deviants running through the halls’?”

She saw Deanna shrug a little out of the corner of her way. “If that’s what happens.” She offered as an answer. “Doesn’t mean we have to change what we do and how we wrestle. Who cares if that’s what SCW is known for-“

“I CARE!” The Snow Queen was suddenly on her feet, sapphire eyes blazing at the redhead. “I care because I have spent a decade of my life for that place! I care because I have scars littering my back for that place! I care because of every concussion and fractured rib and busted foot and every stitch in my head that I’ve given to that place! I care because of every friend I’ve lost to this place: Kelcey, Dawn, Kennedy – my sister! Now you want me to just let it fall apart like it’s nothing? Like I’ve wasted ten years of my life?! Like all of them wasted their lives?!” she shook her head angrily at Deanna. “I won’t do it, Deanna! Not now! Not ever!”

She felt her breath heaving a little, her wife standing, expressionless, before her. “I tried, okay?” Selena continued. “Heaven knows I tried.” She half-laughed, not using her usual ‘gods’ reference. “I tried to give them every opportunity to ‘be better’. To be something great! I tried to help them make this better! You think I wanted this?!” she gestured to the chair in the corner, where the SCW world title sat. “I wanted us to be defending the tag-team titles at Rise to Greatness! I wanted us to make The House of Frost tag-team of the year! I wanted to see you grow and become an amazing singles wrestler without me constantly having to overshadow you!” she saw Deanna flinch at that last remark. “Oh you think I didn’t hear those words?” she laughed at the redhead. “I heard every one. In every line they said about you… and every promo you said.”

The two stood in silence for several seconds, the older Frost trying desperately to calm herself down. “I tried. For us. For you. For everyone, Deanna. And look what happened.” She gestured with her hands outstretched a little. “They had the choice and they chose to make this place worse. Now? I have to fix it.”

She wasn’t sure what she was feeling right now. No, that wasn’t true. She was feeling a mixture of everything. She was angry at SCW for what it was doing to her family. She was upset at her family for not understanding what this was doing to SCW. She was frustrated at the fans being so back and forth when the only person that seemed to really care about them were people like her, Deanna, Bree and Light in the Darkness! She had spent nearly a year weeding out the people like the Holly Adams Brand, The Connection, Ace Marshall and most of Infamous – people that were hurting the integrity of this sport.

And look where it lead:
The Brand was back.
Ace Marshall was back.
Ravyn was a champion again.
And CHBK… held her entire future in his hands.

Was it… was it really all for nothing? Did none of it really matter? Had she made any difference at all with all her beliefs, her refusal to give in, her sacrifices… had it really done anything? Or had she merely kept the ship of SCW afloat for just a little longer?

“I have to go.” She whispered, walking past Deanna and towards the door, grabbing her cardkey and her wallet inside her purse.
“Where are you going?!” Deanna asked. “It’s not even 7 yet. Nothing’s open-“

“I JUST-“ Selena tried, forcing her mouth shut and her eyes closed to try and control herself. Flimsily, she gestured to the mini-fridge. “I just have to go pick up some more energy drinks.”

She saw Deanna turn her head, to see the empty cans that sat on the table around Selena’s laptop. It was the time Selena needed to reach for the door handle and pull the door open, but not enough time to escape Deanna’s word.

“Why?” came the chilling question that gripped Selena, the platinum-blonde unable stop herself from turning a little to gaze her beloved wife. “Why does it have to be you?” Deanna asked. “Why do you have to fix it?”

The answer came far more easily than Selena wanted to. Not because it wasn’t true, but because how strongly she believed it.

”Because I am the only one who can.” she whispered to Deanna before quietly completing her exit from their room, stopping for a moment to stand in the quiet, hotel hallway; her hands finding her braid to pull it tightly to the side of her head.

”Because I am the only one who can.”

_______________________________________________________________

The camera opens up to the interior of the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario. From the opening shot, only words like ‘majestic’, ‘incredible’, ‘spectacular’, and ‘extraordinary’ come to mind as one takes in the decorations of the arena’s interior. From the lights, to the seats, to the colors, every little bit of this space speaks of the history-making, once-a-year (perhaps lifetime) night that awaits the SCW Universe: Rise to Greatness!

It is still a day or so until the festivities begin, but the elegance is still very apparent and ready. But perhaps that makes the emptiness of the arena more noticeable, the camera moving in towards the ring where the woman in jeans, a black shirt with snowflakes on it and a leather jacket stands. On her shoulder shines the prize for the main-event of the main card: the SCW world championship. Despite its lustre, however, the sapphire eyes of Selena Frost are not on it, but rather on the illuminated decorations that read “Rise to Greatness XX” throughout the arena-interior.

A year ago… comes the quiet words from Selena. Can’t believe it’s only been a year. Can’t believe it’s been a whole year, either. Seems like only yesterday – and yet a lifetime ago – that I was standing here with this title and all the hope in the world.

A ghost of a smile graces her features. See, I had this dream. In a world where this title kept being drowned in controversy and things like ‘earning it’ and ‘hard work’ and ‘passion’ took a backseat to how having your entire stable help you get it and keep it, or making deals behind closed doors, or screwing around with the boss’ daughter, I dreamed of an SCW where this title could be elevated above all of that. Where the words “World Champion of SCW” meant something – was seen as an accomplishment rather than something that could be bought. Alone with her thoughts, the Snow Queen slowly paces around the interior of the ring.

For a year, I fought to make that dream a reality, despite all the odds against me.

“She not good enough to be world champion again”.
“The Year of Selena Frost is over!”
“It was all one massive fluke!”

I heard every detraction, every critic, every doubter, but I also heard the SCW Universe. I heard them united in their desire to see this ‘new standard of integrity’ that I wanted to bring into this world.

Taking a moment, Selena takes a glancing sweep across the entire arena, taking in the empty seats before her. And together, we created something that may never be replicated ever again. A reign that may stand longer than any other in SCW’s history. And when it was over… I tried, guys. I really did.

Despite it being over, I WANTED to believe that we had done some good. I wanted to believe that we had accomplished something worthwhile. And, more than anything, despite what people have and will say about me, I wanted to believe, and was ready to believe, that the world title could stay at that level of integrity – at that standard – without me.

Stopping in the center of the ring, her head lowered, the platinum-blonde sighs before lifting up her head to stare into the camera. I waited a year. And I watched. And SCW… I was wrong.

Adjusting the world title on her shoulder, Selena gives a shake of her head. Because what happened in that year, huh guys? Day One of the new season, things started to fall apart! A week later, the world champion that promised you his ‘brand of integrity’ loses the title! And from there it has all been downhill!

A ‘pyjama sleepover party’ match to determine a number one contender?
A ‘Chaos Match’ that ‘ranks the titles’?
Continuous ‘title for title matches’ just to give the world title match some prestige?

That’s all just off the top of my head!

How was this what we created, guys? Whatever happened to the world title being the grandest prize in the game? Whatever happened to this championship meaning you were the best WRESTLER in the world?! But instead, you guys pick a guy dressed like a penguin to challenge for the world title? I just… for a moment, Selena forces her eyes closed, forcing herself to breath and calm herself down. Opening her eyes after a few breaths, she stares back at the camera.

I have always believed that you, the SCW Universe, hold the keys to the kingdom. I always have. And I have always done all I can to bring you the SCW you deserve to see – that is worth your time, devotion, money, all of that.

But I didn’t end up here at the main-event of Rise to Greatness because I wanted to… she shakes her head, her eyes once more on the empty seats.

I am here because I have to be and because of all of you.

Her jaw clenching, she returns her gaze to the camera before her. Because we’ve lost focus, True Believers! And you can hear it! You can’t miss it! Ever since last year’s Rise to Greatness, that’s where it all began! That sound that fills the arena!

“We Believe! No, we don’t! We Believe! No, we don’t! We Believe! No, we don’t!”

A divide across the SCW Universe. Because some of you… she shrugs with a huff. No longer care! No longer care about integrity or hard work. You don’t want something inspiring. No, you want something ‘funny’ or ‘cheap’ or ‘scandalous’, right? That’s what you want for this title. her free hand rests against the center plate of the world championship.

Almost makes me wonder if some of you even know what being the world champion actually means. Because to me, when I see this belt, I think about people like David Helms, who risked their lives to hold it. I think of people like my sister, Regan, who struggled for years to hold this. I think about the men like Shaun and Owen Cruze and Shilo Valiant and James Evans. Men who fought to define what this title meant in the wrestling world – how it stands head and shoulders above every other promotion and their world title. I think of women like Amy Chastaine, Syren, Regan, Kelcey, Katie Steward. Women who struggled to break the glass-ceiling so women like me can fight for this title rather than be relegated to a “Women’s Championship”!

Her eyes move from the title towards the camera. You know who I don’t think of when I see this title? I don’t think of cowards like Holly Adams. People that hide behind their factions like Ravyn Taylor.

And most of all, I sure as hell don’t think of you, Kandis!

I hope you realize the position that you put me in. I mean, management, O. and all of them- she gestures quickly to the empty seats with her free hand. They are responsible for me being here in the main-event tonight, but you? You, alone, are responsible for what is going to happen to you when that bell rings.

Because much like this title, I WANTED to believe that you and I could have a classic match – something that could not only be ‘Match of the Year’, but hell, ‘Match of the Decade’! Something that people would tell their kids about. “I was there at Rise to Greatness 20 when Selena Frost fought Kandis for the SCW world title”. When my path was set, Kandis, I still believed that we could have that.

More than that, I felt that, as you did, that fate was playing a hand here. To make up for the match we couldn’t have. I thought ‘she’s older. Wiser. Maybe more humbled from the injury’. That like me, the year had changed you. And I was hopeful – HOPEFUL, Kandis – that you valued the integrity of this title and the tournament that we went through.

The platinum-blonde releases a knowing exhale as she shakes her head once more. But, like many in the SCW Universe, including the…boss… you disappointed me. First night out, you came and started swinging low, didn’t you? You badmouthed my kids. You disrespected me. You disrespected my family. But it didn’t stop there, oh no! You wanted to keep pushing. You wanted to make it personal. You wanted to play mind games, didn’t you?

And I get it, Kandis. You stack even the last 3 years of your career with mine? I’ve got you pegged. From title wins to main-events to awards, the simple truth is you can’t compete on that level like I can. I run on integrity, you shrug and go “I win when I want to”. I make results, you make excuses. And deep down, you know as well as I do that you can brag and post your ‘Thirsty Thursdays’ and all that, but when the bell rings, one of us is ‘show’ and the other ‘can go’. A knowing smile forms on Selena’s face as one of her hands grips the top rope in comfort.

But you see, that’s… that’s all going to be contested in the ring this Sunday, isn’t it? Sunday night, you’re gonna have your chance but let me make it clear for you, Kandis. This is ‘put up or shut up’ time. For months, you’ve been demanding a shot at this title to make amends for history and whatever. Regardless of what I think of the ‘legitimacy’ of your claim, you’ve got your shot. And you strip all the drama and controversy away, Kandis? You know what happens when you lose? When I beat you? Your entire argument… your last seven months back here?

Selena snaps her fingers. Gone. Means nothing. All your claims, all your games, all your promises of ‘being synonymous with the world title’? Disproven and you know what you are then? You’re a loudmouth, whining little bitch that whored herself out for fame and got nowhere!

Taking a moment, Selena moves back to the center of the ring, her hand still firmly grasping the world title. Now, I’ve told you where your position is. Let me tell you mine now.

For nearly ten years, I have built myself up from the ground up. For nearly ten years, I went from some runaway kid from Nome, Alaska, to the girl with no confidence, to the Snow Queen that was defying expectations and shocking the world, to the Face of SCW that represented this company, to the single greatest SCW superstar of all time. Through all the hardships, the scars, the fractured bones, the concussions, I have stayed true to myself and to my beliefs and I have fought my way to that spot. And I know they hate it, but I have fought to earn that name: “The Face of SCW”!

Like I said, Kandis, I know some people hate it, but it is undeniable at this point. It is claim proven fact! And it has taken me nearly a decade to do that! Nearly a decade of beating the very best SCW has put before me, from star to rookie, from veteran to legend, from ‘flash in the pan’ to ‘Hall of Fame’, I have beaten them all so I can stand here and I say I am the world champion!

Slowly, Selena tilts her head back to the camera, gesturing towards it with her free hand. And then there’s you… who has lead this whole build up to the greatest main-event in this company’s history with a story. A tale about how you got here, not because you’re talented. Not because you’ve got skills or passion. No, you come here and start this slew of statements that you slept your way to the 40th spot of the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royale, thus better securing your spot against me.

For a moment, Selena looks away, her tongue clicking against her cheek. And the funny thing is that you think that I care at this point whether or not that statement is true or if, surprise surprise, Kandis is nothing more than a big, fat liar. You think I care about that or what the investigation from SCW will yield?

Newsflash, Kandis: I don’t! the words echo a little as Selena is silent to allow said words to truly sink in.

I don’t care if it’s true or if it’s just another moment of you running your mouth with fake stories and promises. I don’t care whether you’re lying and playing mind games or if there is a crooked board member in the SCW office – wouldn’t surprise me if it was O. with how he’s been running things lately!

But I just don’t care.

Because that’s not really what’s important, is it? What’s important, Kandis, is that you’ve made it all about that. You’ve made your entire journey here, not on your rehab from injury, not on your growth, not on your desire to be ‘the best wrestler in SCW’. No, you’ve made your path about how you ‘slept your way to the world title’.

Slept your way to the world title… The Snow Queen’s tone grows colder, her body more tense. Slept your way to the world title…

Looking around the ring, Selena suddenly marches to one side of it, leaning over the ropes to gesture to an empty audience seat. So, when I see that little girl in the audience with a replica title, is that what I’m supposed to tell her? That she can be world champion if she just bangs some corporate guy? What about that up-and-coming wrestler that is coming tonight? she points to another seat. What do you want me to tell her, Kandis? ‘Drop your pants and you’ll get everything you’ll ever want?!’. she hisses in disgust at that idea as she turns back into the ring.

What about the people I just mentioned, Kandis? The ones that fought for years to hold this title, some who never had a chance to headline Rise to Greatness despite Hall of Fame careers? People like my sister, Regan? What do I tell them? “Turns out you did it wrong? You should have banged a board member?” her tone grows even colder, her sapphire eyes narrowing as she stands in the middle of the ring.

What about MY kids, Kandis? What about my daughter, Elsianna, that wants to be a wrestler one day like her mothers? What do I tell her, Kandis? That it’s not about how hard you work, but how ‘hot’ you are and how ‘good and easy you give’ in the bedroom to anyone that can get you higher up the ladder? Is that what I should tell my eleven-year-old child, Kandis?!

Rage rolls off the Snow Queen, her words deadpan and cold as her hands are white from clenching. See, Kandis, whether it’s true or not, you have made your place here in this match all about it – you have made it what you represent. A shortcut of shortcuts. The cheapest, sleeziest, most disrespectful thing you could have done to this world title!

And what if you win it? What then, Kandis? You gonna wear it backwards around your ass? You going to show it off on your tweets like an accessory? We going to see it in another ‘leaked’ video of yours?! That what this title means to you?!

Gripping the world title, Selena vehemently shakes her head. That is not going to happen, Kandis. Because I’m the one that’s in your way. And there isn’t a person you can bang or suck that is going to save you from me. Because this isn’t going to be the ‘classic, 5-star match’ that I wanted. No, Kandis. This is going to be brutal. This is going to be humiliating. This is going to be the worst night of your life.

A growl forms deep in the Snow Queen’s throat. Because I’m not interested in just beating you now. No. That ship sailed the second you made the choice you made. No, Kandis. I’m not going to give a match that you, win or lose, can be ‘proud of’.

I am going to embarrass you. I am going to shame you. I am going to beat you to the ground, and then I am going to beat you some more until you, the SCW Universe, hell the entire world knows the massive difference between ‘sleeping your way to the top’ and ‘earning your way to the top’! So that the True Believers know it! So that my daughter knows it!!!

Lowering her arm, her voice calming, Selena breathes one calming breath before speaking normally again. And when I am done, Kandis, I am going to kick you out of my ring. I am going to stand here with my SCW world championship, and whether I am booed or cheered – whether they believe me or not – I will FIX this company at long last! I will FIX this company’s integrity! I will FIX this world championship’s legacy!

So enjoy a beatdown like you have never had before, Kandis. It’s the only thing in this entire federation that you have truly earned.

Believe it! Sapphire eyes narrow. And go fuck yourself! Before she holds the world title above her head, the last image that is seen before the shot fades to black.

[Kandis.]

Rise to Greatness 2023 #2