The House of Frost vs. Light in the Darkness

[SnowQueenSCW]

The Royal Letter

The screen fades in slowly. No dramatic music, no empty arena or high-class setting. No lights or fancy effects. There is only the quiet sound of wind moving through cedar trees and morning mist that rolls between the mountains of Takayama, Japan, like clouds settling onto the earth. Somewhere nearby, water trickles over stone.

The camera doesn't move. It simply waits for several long seconds. Until... Selena Frost walks into frame. There is no elaborate attire or sharp pantsuit, nor is there any makeup beyond what she naturally wears. She simply wears dark jeans, a charcoal sweater, her platinum hair hangs loose over one shoulder, stirred gently by the breeze.

She doesn't immediately acknowledge the camera. Instead, she looks toward the mountains, the light catching in her sapphire eyes.

The mountains don't care... her voice is quiet as she sits in front of the camera.

They don't care who I used to be. They don't care who people think I became. They don't care whether I was right... She takes a deep breath. Or whether I was wrong.

They don't care whether I'm the Snow Queen or the Blue-Eyed Devil. They don't care how many championships I've won, how many people I’ve beaten. How many wars I’ve won... how many I’ve lost. What I said... who I hurt...

She shakes her head. The mountains simply exist. They don't ask. They don't demand.

Her gaze slowly finds the camera. They don't ask me to defend decisions I made six months ago or six years ago. And... perhaps... most importantly, they don't give me another name.

She shakes her head knowingly. I've had quite a few of those: A faint, almost amused smile crosses her feature.

'The Crazy Miner's Daughter.' The first one. The one people in Nome gave me before I ever stepped inside a wrestling ring. Because it was easier to believe my father was crazy than that he was right...

'The Snow Queen.' The woman who believed she could make the impossible look effortless. That she could make SCW a better place through integrity and honour and belief...

‘The Face of SCW’. The achieved dream of The Snow Queen – defending its existence against those that sought shortcuts and cheap ploys for greatness.

'The Blue-Eyed Devil.' Her smile disappears. The woman everyone tells me I truly am and have always been. Because it’s easier to just believe Syren wagging her finger and saying ‘I told you so’ rather than understand such a creature is a creation of its circumstances, not of its heart. It’s easier to blame than it is to take responsibility. Those same people – like Syren – then beg for forgiveness and understanding when they ‘turn over a new leaf’, saying they made mistakes and they are a different person – but are so quick to turn their backs... she stops herself, the hurt and bitterness still in her voice but not the direction she desires to go.

Taking a deep breath, Selena offers an apologetic smile before she continues speaking. I've been called a hero.
A coward.
A tyrant.
A champion.
A fraud.
A legend.
A monster.

She gives a shrug. You spend enough years answering to names... eventually, you forget which one belongs to you. A breeze catches a loose strand of her platinum-blonde hair, but she doesn't move it – too lost in her thoughts.

I've spent months running – popping up in SCW here and there like a ghost since Hubris. Taking Hold of the Flame, Breakdowns... only for a moment. Only for a few words and then... gone again. Running again. There is no shame in the admission – it is a simple admittance. I've crossed oceans. Changed countries. Changed hotels. Changed names...

I've watched sunsets in Spain. Sunrises in Japan. I've slept beneath glaciers. I've hidden in mountains. And the whole time, I've convinced myself that movement was the same thing as healing. That I was just recovering from... everything.

What happened at Hubris. What happened at the Flame. Letting go of the main-event I held for the last five years. I thought staying away – out of sight, out of mind – would help. She shakes her head. It hasn't...

It just makes the scenery prettier.

She looks away again, a quiet, ironic laugh escaping her. But the funny thing about running is that eventually... her gaze returns to the camera. You run out of places that don't know your name...

Nome isn't one of those places anymore.
Manhattan certainly isn't.
Neither is SCW...

She slowly shakes her head. So eventually, you stop asking where to go and you start asking
who you're trying to leave behind...

But the answer is obvious, isn’t it? she tilts her head. Myself... Instead of elaborating, she simply sighs and steels herself.

I received an e-mail a few days ago. My next match. So, I suppose I should address that... she takes a deep breath to steady herself. Though, to be honest, It wasn't exactly a surprise after I thought about it. Light in the Darkness - Amelia Nevado. La Pequeña Luz - the SCW World Tag Team Champions against The House of Frost...

I mean, if it had been a respectful challenge – coming to the ring and asking – then I’d be genuinely surprised, but seeing how Amelia’s been acting these past few months... Again, her words trail off, as if she’s holding back her thoughts. Taking another deep breath, Selena refocuses.

Four years ago, Deanna and I defended those championships against the two of you. I’m sure we’ll all mention it.

I remember that match...

I remember every mistake. Every adjustment. Every counter. I remember standing across the ring from a tag team that hadn't quite become what they were capable of becoming. But there was such potential in both of them – as a team and individually. And I told them as much...

She smiles the memory of better times... And then they did...

You guys became champions. Again. And again. And again. Now it’s not just either of you saying it - people call you one of the greatest tag teams this company has ever produced. Light in the Darkness...

And they're right. the tone in her voice is earnest, missing the venom the ‘Blue-Eyed Devil’ has often laced into her promos. You earned that. You built that. You fought for that.

She tilts her head ever so slightly. So understand me, Luz... Amelia... when I tell you that I respect Light in the Darkness, I do actually mean it – even if you don’t believe me.

But respect doesn't require blindness...

The wind grows slightly stronger and Selena’s eyes narrow.

I watched Jessica Winters' interview. I listened - I listened very carefully. And Luz, perhaps you noticed it as well. But I just found it so funny, Amelia. The words you used:

Coward.
Not ready.
Afraid.

I’ve heard those words before. She nods slowly. Yes... The first time, they came from me. I remember exactly where we were – on the path to Hubris. I remember exactly why I said them – because I believed you weren’t ready to handle the weight of being the SCW world champion – not when your win-loss record in the singles department this season was basically the inverse of mine, with far more losses to your name than wins. I remember the look on your face when I did – how could Selena be so unfair and cruel and judgmental?

You hated me. You should have – you had every right to. If someone tells you that you aren't ready to climb the highest mountain, your first instinct is to believe they're trying to stop you. It never occurs to you - that maybe - they've already climbed it.

I wasn't trying to stop you becoming World Champion, Amelia.  I was trying to stop the championship from becoming you. She lets that sit. And I failed.

You became World Champion. You achieved everything you said you would. And there was a moment, briefly afterwards, that I was actually happy for you. But it wasn’t really you doing it, was it? Because then something happened.

Her eyes lock onto the camera now. You started speaking like me:

'Coward.'
'Not ready.'
'Afraid.' She repeats each word carefully.

And it wasn’t hearing the same words that alarmed me. It was that they were coming from the person that swore up and down that she would never be like me – the woman that swore that she would show me at Hubris how different she was compared to me. And yet, there you were using the same words. The same certainty. The same belief that you knew another person's limits better than they did. The same words that infuriated you, now you are using without a second thought.

I recognized them immediately, because, like the title you’re just getting used to holding, I’ve LIVED with them for years! She lowers her eyes for the first time since mentioning Amelia. And do you know what frightened me? It wasn't hearing you say them. It was realizing how familiar they sounded...

The camera holds on Selena as another gentle breeze stirs through the cedars.

But again, Amelia, we circle back behind the reason behind our words. And you confused mine as ‘arrogance’ when it’s been experience. And experience isn’t always about ‘being right all the time’. Sometimes, it means... she hesitates a little before speaking the next part. It means you've made enough mistakes that eventually you begin recognizing them before they happen.

So, Amelia... I wasn't wrong about you when I said you weren’t ready to be world champion – you just thought I meant that you just weren’t good enough to win the title. And deep down, all this has been is you just desperate to prove me wrong... by being me.

She sighs, shaking her head. That if you use my words, my style, my attitude, you can do what’s taken me over a decade to do. Be what’s taken me ten plus years to become. And when that didn’t work – when the SCW Universe saw through you and saw through your rationale – a watered-down version of the monster I am – you thought challenging The House of Frost could silence them before you go under the brightest of spotlights, the biggest of main-events...

You’re wrong, Amelia... but so was I. The words aren't spoken with satisfaction. If anything, they sound disappointed.

I was wrong, too. I believed that if I could stop you, you would understand my words. You would take them like you did those years ago, and you’d use them and use the time to grow. Like you did to become a great tag-team champion. Like Luz did to become a great singles champion!

I won’t refute that. Luz has spent the last near two years becoming a champion the right way. The way I wish I could have. And when she finally did, she didn’t let the title define her. No! She kept working and learning and being the incredible champion, taking on every challenge and every obstacle, never blinking from a threat and never retreating from a loss. She turned her loss to Asher Hayes into an earned victory last year. She didn’t make excuses – she stood tall as a champion... a champion like Deanna has tried to be.

You didn't, Amelia. Soon as you had the world title – no, before that - you became desperate. You stopped asking what kind of champion you wanted to become and started asking what it would take to become champion. You looked to me – and copied the template.

The arrogance. The disrespect. The venom. Slowly, you just added more and more of me into your makeup... when I wanted you to be better.

You found Frank Delatosso.
You found the New Order.
You found shortcuts.
You found distractions.
You found excuses. So many excuses.

And eventually, you found the World Championship... A faint smile crosses her features again. Everything you were looking for was now yours! Congratulations! The only thing you had to do... was stop looking for Amelia Nevado.

So, as someone with this experience, I feel compelled to ask. Was it worth it, Amelia? Was it worth everything you threw away? Every look Luz gives you that isn’t loving or supportive? One that are filled with uncertainty and doubt? Is it worth looking at yourself in the mirror every day and asking yourself ‘What the hell am I doing’? Is it worth seeing the disappointment on every face of every person that believed in you and tried to help you? Is it worth questioning every friend and co-worker you’re associated with, scared they’re going to stab you in the back because they want what you have? Is it worth trusting no one because you’re so afraid of what happens when you don’t have that championship?

See, that’s the funny thing about reaching the top, Amelia! The higher you climb, the more you realize that the climb never really ends! You don't stop proving yourself. You don't stop earning it. You certainly don't stop learning. Cause once you do...  She tilts her head slightly. You become me.

And while it took me over a decade to get there, somewhere in less than a few months, so did you.

I've watched every one of your matches, Amelia. Retribution, Hubris, Taking Hold of the Flame, the
Breakdowns. I’ve watched every step of you becoming a champion, defending that championship, the arrival of this ‘new era’ Delatosso is shoving down everyone’s throats. And after you beat me, I waited...

I waited for Amelia Nevado to become the woman she insisted she already was.

Slowly, Selena shakes her head. And I'm still waiting...

There is a silence as Selena waits, eventually, pushing herself to her feet, she begins walking slowly across the veranda. Waiting for that woman that just recently promised integrity to Chris Dumont to actually show up and make it happen. Because you know what fascinates me? The people who screamed the loudest that I underestimated you?

They are now listening to you underestimate Deanna!

Again, she shakes her head as her eyes drift towards the mountains again. The difference is that when I said them? Deep down, I hoped I would be wrong. Her eyes return to the camera. When you say them...you need to be right.

Because if Deanna is ready...what does that make you? she lets the question hang in the air for a moment.

If Deanna can become World Champion - without Frank Delatosso. Without hiding inside multi-person matches. Without needing someone else to carry part of the burden...

Then everything you've spent the last year telling yourself? It falls apart.

She lets that realization settle as well. You've convinced yourself that surviving is the same thing as proving. It isn't. You survived me, Amelia, and I'll never take that away from you.

But surviving... isn't the same as standing alone.

That’s one thing you’ve not seemed to be able to copy from me. I never needed the boss holding my hand or a stable of people watching my back. Or ‘special favours’ from the guy in charge. Can you say the same, Amelia? Can you honestly say you’d be where you are without Frank helping you? Without the New Order helping you? Without Luz choosing to save you over winning the world title herself?

Another breeze moves through the cedar branches. Selena's expression softens.

I’ll tell you this now, Amelia – and you can check with Luz if you don’t believe me. Do you know the greatest mistake I ever made? It wasn’t that I became the villain the SCW Universe wanted. It wasn’t that I turned my back on so much that I believed in. It wasn’t even forging Deanna’s name to get that world title match.

It was that I assumed that because I couldn't carry the World Championship forever, Deanna couldn't carry it at all.

She laughs quietly. It seems obvious now. I spent years trying to stop her becoming me. I never stopped to ask what if she became something better? Her smile grows, almost imperceptibly. She already has...

No one handed Deanna Frost the Shot of Adrenaline Tournament.
No one handed her Taking Hold of the Flame.
No one handed her the Adrenaline Championship.
No one handed her the Rise to Greatness main event.

I certainly didn't. I didn't make her. I simply had the privilege of watching her become herself. And I nearly convinced myself that wasn't enough.

Which is why I look at you and almost can’t believe your stupidity. Winning the contendership and the title, Amelia? That was impressive, don’t get me wrong. But what else? What else have you done this year?

Deanna? She’s done so much more than EITHER of us! And you want to look down on her and say she isn’t ready? Say that she isn’t brave enough to step up? Selena chuckles, a mixture of biterness and darkness. Even after these months, you’re still the same stupid fool.

This match. The World Tag Team Championships. The House of Frost. They speak the team name like it's a memory - a relic. A team that disappeared years ago. She nods slowly.

They're right. The House of Frost disappeared. But not because Deanna stopped being my partner.

But because I stopped being hers. For the first time in the promo, real regret crosses her face.

I left.
I ran.
I hid.

I convinced myself that disappearing was somehow protecting the people I loved and it wasn't. It was simply easier than letting them watch me become someone I no longer recognized.

She exhales quietly. And yet, she kept making room. You call it cowardice... but deep down, we both know what it is... She gives a tiny shake of her head.

I still don't understand that. I've tried. I've analyzed it. I've argued with it. I've run from it. I've hidden from it.

And somehow every road still leads back to one impossible truth: Deanna Frost never stopped believing.

In wrestling. In championships. In me.

The platinum-blonde looks directly into the camera.

That doesn't mean she approves of me. It doesn't mean she excuses me. Doesn’t mean she forgot. Love isn't blindness. It's choosing to see everything... and refusing to look away.

So now... I am choosing to not look away from this. She straightens her back,  her posture changing almost imperceptibly – the competitor spirit returning.

So now, Light in the Darkness – though I question if now your name is more your relationship rather than what you represent. But you asked for the House of Frost? You challenged our name. You challenged our history. You challenged our legacy... A slight smile forms.

I hope you understand what you've actually done, Amelia.

Quietly, she glances toward the mountains one final time. Four years ago, we defended these championships against you. You left better than when you arrived. You became one of the greatest tag teams this company has ever seen.

You earned every championship, every accolade, and every ounce of respect attached to your names.

But respect...has never meant surrender.

Her sapphire eyes become almost icy. Not cruel, but focused.

Amelia... you think this match is about proving you're the better team. It isn't.
You think this match is about reminding Deanna that she isn't ready for Rise to Greatness. It isn't.
You think this match is about proving that I'm yesterday and you're tomorrow.

Another faint smile.

It isn't.

This match is about belief. You don't believe Deanna is ready...I do.
You don't believe I can still stand beside her...I don't know if I can.

But unlike you...I'm willing to find out! She steps closer to the camera.

I'm done trying to save you, Amelia. I’m done trying to protect you from the consequences of your words and actions. That’s all on you now. Instead, I'm going to do something infinitely more difficult.

I'm going to stand beside the one woman who never stopped trying to save me.

Slowly, the cold glare shifts and a smile forms. Not one of The Blue-Eyed Devil or even The Snow Queen. Just... Selena.

Red... Her voice is barely above a whisper. I still don't know the way home. But...I know who does. I’ll... she takes a steady breath before keeping her smile and nodding her head. I’ll see you at Breakdown. Belie-

She stops herself, her hand held above her heart.  The screen lingers for several seconds as Selena remains standing in silence.

Then... just two words float out... I promise.

Before everything fades to black.