12-07-2021, 12:38 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-07-2021, 12:39 PM by SnowQueenSCW.)
OOC: Posted in two parts due to length.
The wind howls as she walks across the desert of snow. She can feel the cold in every part of her body – even to the depths of her bones. She casts a look behind her and can see the many trees, stripped of their leaves and parts of their bark.
She is alone in this familiar wood. That is something that chills her more than the cold… Why is she alone?
She looks down at her hands, but they are merely clutching at her arms as if trying to keep herself warm, the snow covering parts of her and the green sweater she wears. Why is she alone?
Had she left her beloved behind this time? Had she been too late to even pick up her wife’s broken form? Or had something gotten in her way?
She doesn’t remember – the wind is so loud that it’s drowning out her own memories as she walks through the snowstorm.
Just keep going… she tells herself. Eventually, you’ll die and wake up.
She knows she is dreaming this time around. It happens from time to time where she is not completely lost in her own nightmare. She knows that, sooner or later, she’ll reach wherever her mind is taking her and she’ll die.
It’s why she also feels nothing, except for the cold and the ache of being alone.
She almost smirks at that. There was a time when she was a cold Snow Queen. She needed no one. Not in her wars, not in her survival – even when she was married, she could still be “The Snow Queen” in SCW. A force that could be as unstoppable as Xander Valentine and as creative and quick as Vixen Cain.
Yet now? Ever since the early-ons of this year? Her mind could not separate the two parts. The private, kind, yearning to be loved Selena, and the driven, cold and passionate mix that was the Snow Queen. Deanna had made that impossible to the point that, even in the depths of her dreams, Selena was far sadder that her wife was not there with her than anything else.
The clearing came eventually, as it always did, allowing Selena to enter into a wide area that housed some kind of complex. Had she seen such a complex before? Yes, once…
Before her eyes, the storm cleared – the snow suddenly falling and the skies remaining dark and ominous, but it allowed Selena to see the frozen corpses that littered the ground. They were all in various positions. Some kneeling, some praying, some bowing, some with their heads in the dirt.
There were dozens…maybe hundreds…
Had he let them all just freeze out here? Had he let them all die out here?
She could see a hill just a way’s away, and a tent at the bottom of it. The front of the flap opened and, from the tent, Selena could spy lit candles and wicker chairs for a moment before her vision was blocked by the occupants coming out.
Cid Turner stepped out first, adjusting his shirt buttons with one hand, the SCW World title held in his other hand. He reached out towards the tent, where a small hand took his offered one.
Selena’s eyes widened in shock as she saw her wife – her beloved – being lead by Cid Turner out of the tent and to the base of the complex, only a few yards from where Selena stood. Despite her stomach twisting in knots at the sight, it only got worse as Selena spied the enlargement of Deanna’s belly.
No…that sick fuck… her mind cursed, but no words would come out – part of her trying to recall that this was all just a nightmare!
But the sight a pregnant Deanna continued to play on her as Cid put his arm around the redhead, not like she would – not with any care or affection, not as if he cared about her - but rather that he was ‘claiming her’ as his property, much in the same way he held the world championship.
The cold began to creep up Selena’s legs, but it was being pressed back by her increasing, unyielding rage.
I’ll kill you… her mind hissed towards the bearded bastard. I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!
She took a step forward when a flash of white and blue flew across her vision. Turning her head, she saw one of the ‘corpses’ that had been frozen to death looking at her with dead, pale eyes… holding up the Snow Queen’s left arm with a sick, twisted grin.
Turning her head, Selena saw the bloody stump that had housed that arm. Her only good arm shaking, she tried to reach out to it, but was suddenly face down in the snow, looking up to see another ‘ice-zombie’ glaring down at her, this one holding one of her legs (she recognized the running shoe the appendage still had on).
She wanted to feel pain. She wanted to scream out. But all she felt was rage. With a yell that gave no sound, she pushed her hand into the snowy earth, pushing herself onto her one good knee.
Looking around, she saw the mass of the dead… the mindless people that were obeying Cid Turner. People that had sold their souls for something that they thought Cid could give them – believed so much that they had sold their humanity for it. Casting her eyes up, she could see past the mass that was closing in on her, to see Cid smiling smugly. Giovanni Aries was standing beside him, along with that man that had spoken so highly of Cid and Deanna at the complex, Selena hadn’t heard his name.
And beyond them, beyond the complex – were those eyes. Eyes that glowed above the skies as they looked down at Selena.
Eyes filled with cruelty.
Eyes filled with hunger.
Eyes that cared for nothing but themselves.
Was that Cid Turner? Or was it Gleebnorb?
A sad smile broke across Selena’s face as she watched the people before her and the ‘being’ that seemed beyond powerful. “I’m going to die…” she managed to whisper, her eyes returning to Deanna.
“It’s okay…” she whispered. “I won’t let this happen. I won’t ever let you be that unhappy…” she vowed to the redhead before the masses descended upon her.
And then… oblivion…
*******************
The Frost-Cave
Nome, Alaska
November 27th, 2021
7:23pm
She felt the weight drop off her as she slung the large, black duffle-bag off her shoulder, letting it continue its short journey as it hit the ground with a decent-sounding ‘thud’ sound. Before her, even in the dim dark of the cave, she could make out the evidence of her existence here for the last near two weeks. The pit where she always made a fire for herself to sleep near still had decent amounts of wood and ashes within it and, if she looked hard enough, she would find a few small stains of dried blood on the nearby walls where she had, sometimes in anger and sometimes in training, punched her fists against the walls until the stone had worn off some of the skin from her knuckles.
At the memory, Selena cast her eyes downward, lifting her right hand and turning it towards her face to examine the red lines of healing cuts along her pale knuckles in the moonlight. She had worn fingerless gloves to the last few Breakdowns to hide the cuts. Was she ashamed of them? Of course not. Her body was covered in scars, like the details on a map or the words in a book, detailing the story that had been her wrestling career. There were long scars that interlaced and ran down her sides from the cat-o-nine-tails of barbed wire. Being thrown through glass and plexiglass had scarred part of her back and she had lost track of the number of stitches that had been put in her head in the last eight years – the last two years ALONE - from cheap shots with weaponry. No… Selena would never be ashamed of the proof that marked her body – proof of the wars she had survived. But the last thing she wanted was people like the growing collection of ‘prophets’ and ‘saviours’ in Holly Adam’s little group to find out and twist it into something that it wasn’t. Or, worse yet, in the case of Cid Turner, continue to take credit for it.
In the dimly-moonlit-cave, the platinum-blonde kept quiet as she rekindled her fire – the makeshift ‘firepit’ of wood and stones far enough inside that the cold and wind of the winter couldn’t reach it enough to extinguish it. Making a fire – she almost scoffed as she watched the flames slowly grow and dance into existence as they fed on the lumber, crackling sounds filling the space – had been something that her father had taught her at a very young age, camping and exploring the cold and the caves of Nome being something the Frost family had done for generations.
She felt the warmth from the flames spread up and across her face, feeling it against her pale cheeks as she watched the flames’ light dance across the walls of the cave. Quietly, she removed her jacket, tossing it beside her bag and feeling a little of the familiar cold hit her through the dark-green sweater she wore. Least I can feel those things… she thought wistfully. The warmth of the fire and the cold of the wind… Perhaps it wasn’t much, but to Selena Frost, she was grateful to feel something for the first time in the last few days.
Emotionally, she had not felt much of anything as she had left Ohio. Her flight back here – to Nome – had been slowed by the weather, but the dark of the night had not delayed her driving and walking the necessary distance back to her father’s cave. She knew the route by heart – the years she had spent in this ‘castle of stone’ – as much a part of her as the snow and cold of Nome and the city-life of New York.
Maybe that was the problem… she had sort-of been on automatic pilot, simply going through the motions after that night. She hadn’t allowed herself to truly dwell on what had happened – to truly concentrate on the implications of what had occurred.
Eight years… she heard the echo in her mind, as if the words had been spoken in a whisper as she continued to watch the blaze. Eight years and never…
She gave a long inhale and exhale of breath, shaking her head before turning it to gaze down the path she had walked. She could just make out the entrance to the cave, several yards away, appearing like a small dot of night, moonlight and winter snow. With a push off her knees, Selena was on her feet, moving over to her bag to dig out her flashlight (lying next to the small zip-lock bag of batteries for said flashlight). Giving a quick check and shake of the black metal tool, the platinum-blonde turned it on before making her way around the pit and further into the cave.
“Not going to sleep much right now, anyway.” She said aloud, hearing her voice echo a little in the halls of stone. “Yeah, yeah.” She replied back, not expecting any reply.
She wished Deanna was here-
Quickly, she slammed her mind down on that thought, extinguishing it as fast as it had formed. It was her fault Deanna wasn’t here. She had chosen to stay behind – needed to – weeks ago, though if Breakdown a few nights ago had been any indication of the Snow Queen’s ‘progress’…
To distract herself, Selena lifted her free hand to run along the stone wall. It was course and bumpy in some places, sharp and fine in others, and smooth in others still. Still, they all held one attribute in common. They were all cold.
It had been a few years since mining in her father’s cave had ceased, the excavation team having declared that the mine was completely emptied of gold. Empty… Selena thought as she walked down the tunnel. It feels so empty… Emptier than ever before…
The notion brought up the familiar doubt in her mind – doubt of what the hell she expected to find here now. The question was laughable to her because, quite simply, she couldn’t answer it because she didn’t even know what she was looking for to begin with. Was it purpose? Was it ghosts? Was it that cold instinct that gave her an edge when she needed it most? Was any of that even true or something she just needed like a security blanket or like Elisanna with Sir Crackshell.
In the past, this place had always been her ‘sanctuary’, her place to go when the world was too cruel or when she was too lost. When her father had ‘disappeared’, she had turned his cave into her world, continuing to dig and mine for gold simply to prove him right about it. When she had joined the world of SCW, she had, every now and then, been drawn back here. Back to the cold and back to the dark to embrace her full nature, who she was as “The Snow Queen”. Moments like her war with Bree Lancaster, when she felt the lowest and least sure of herself, this cave, with its hidden treasure, had reminded her to never give up and never give in. That she was a Frost, an Alaskan Dragon, and so much more! To always keep going. Even if it was just a step at a time. Except now, there was no more hidden treasure…
Keep going… her mind instructed. Keep going…
It was all she could do in the moment, her eyes taking in the wide halls that had been carved by hands and machines so much stronger and far more numerous than her own. It had stunned her how much further the team had gone than she had. In reality, and seeing the paths before her, she felt a small sense of sadness.
If I had not gotten lucky… her eyes gazed down the path as she continued to walk. I never would have reached this far.
It was a somber thought. In the ten-plus years she had been digging on her own, using only her father’s old tools to aid her and his memory/faith in the mine to fuel her, she had only made a short distance into the cave’s interior. At that rate, she would have lived and died digging and would never have made it as far as the tunnels now extended before her.
Was that all this has been? She asked herself. Luck?
The thought haunted her. For so long, she had despised the notion of fate – doing all she could to fight against it and forge her own path. But time and time again, fate had reared its ugly head to take her down. The DeCarlos, the Frost/Frostmeres, the Scythes, and then there was SCW.
A sad laugh escaped her, condescending a little in the cold cave. Her entire SCW career had begun on a whim, working a shift at Liam’s bar (her regular job) and, desperate to do anything to escape that life, she had run away from Nome, gambling all she had on one shot – one opportunity at the End of the Year Special.
Had she just been lucky to see that advertisement? What if she hadn’t? Or missed her shift due to sickness or tending to her ‘Snow-Child’?
Don’t think like that! she chastised herself. Didn’t you and Deanna talk about ‘what-ifs’?!
Deanna…
Despite herself, Selena’s brain continued to travel down the what-ifs. It had been such good fortune that she had just met Deanna on a whim as well, being in Kentucky when she was, being part of an auction for the town, and Deanna being there. Fate or luck, Selena knew that she had had no part in their meeting occurring. “But again…” she whispered to herself. “Was it just luck?”
With a surprised yelp, Selena pulled her hand back off the wall as it encountered a sharper section of rock. Checking her hand quickly under the flashlight, she gave it a quick shake before continuing down the path.
She knew where the doubt was coming from. Or, to be more accurate, what had allowed it to come to the surface and not be swatted away by Selena’s personal belief in herself, Deanna, and her life.
It was SCW. It was Cid Turner.
She had admitted the truth in her last Breakdown promo. That she wasn’t ready to beat Cid Turner in the ring, it was why she had stayed here in the first place. She needed – she needed –
It didn’t really matter if she couldn’t put it to words just yet. She had already spent a week in this cave – camping and enduring the cold, longer than she had ever spent during her wrestling career, only leaving to attend Breakdown. And despite that, she had still failed to send a statement to Cid Turner or to SCW about the match – to prove to SCW (and to herself) that she was ready to fight for the World title again.
Instead, what had happened…
The Snow Queen shook her head. She still could not believe it herself. Eight years… and never…
The shock finally came – delayed from disbelief and the loss she had suffered at the hands of the Giovanni Aries. A fan had attacked her…
Not a superstar or a bitter rival like Cid with a title belt or Holly to protect her ‘money-maker client’. No… a fan. A person that was part of the universe that she had, for years, wrestled for. A member of the SCW Universe that she had risked so much in her life, fighting for the survival and integrity of SCW for them… a member of that universe had jumped the barricade… just to assault her.
“Conceal…” she whispered, leaning up against the side wall of stone, her eyes cast upwards. “Don’t feel…” she added, her mantra being repeated as she tried to process everything, perhaps for the first time since last Breakdown. The rumors had reached her ears eventually, with claims of the assailant being ‘a plant’ or ‘a paid individual’ but certainly not an actual ‘fan’ of SCW. But, despite those notes, Selena couldn’t shake the chance that the rumors were wrong.
Were the fans really buying into Giovanni Aries and his ‘nirvana’? What did that say about Holly’s Group? About Cid Turner’s beliefs? About her own?
For eight long years, Selena had known she was a minority in terms of ideals in SCW – one of the few people that didn’t subscribe to the idea of ‘win at all cost’. Who preferred honesty over twisted logic and corrupt/bias narratives. She knew she was one of the few people like that – others coming and going depending on their success rate within the company or, perhaps, needing to ‘gain an edge’ in the company. Few stayed valiant to those ideals as soon as things got tough, even people that had been as noble as David Helms and Chris Cannon had taken shortcuts and tactics to boost their career.
And maybe Selena could have had success – greater success – if she had just ‘followed that path’ like everyone else. What if she had a clan of superstars protecting her like Syren had? She probably wouldn’t have as many scars on her body. She probably wouldn’t have had to wait four years for another crack at the World title. Maybe she could have done wonders with Platinum, or been part of Past, Present and Future if she had just thought and acted like Sienna Swann and Josh Hudson.
But the SCW Universe, their belief in her. Hell, even their jeers in some places – so engaged and passionate! She always thought that they, too, believed in the SCW she was trying to keep alive. That she was trying to make the forefront of the company’s reputation. Supreme wrestling, integrity, quality matches that didn’t require ambushes or interference but skill and passion and, sometimes, even some luck! She had thought that the SCW Universe believed in that, even if some of them didn’t like her.
But to have a member of that universe assault her…
Without thinking, Selena’s hand ghosted up to her side, pressing against the sweater and her rib, her mind flashing to the scars that she knew marred that area. Was it all for nothing? Had she just been fooling herself? Were the eight years of wanting to make a difference in SCW… had it made any difference at all? Who else had held the World title like she had in the last five or even ten years? Names like David Helms, Chris Cannon, Kennedy Street and Amy Chastaine came to mind but far and away, they were outnumbered by the countless former champions that had used the same tactics over and over again. Tactics Cid Turner used. The Ace Marshalls, the Syrens, the Sienna Swanns, the Bree Lancasters – and that was just in the last few years.
Forcing her eyes shut to try and turn off the emotions raging within her, Selena’s head rested against the stone-wall. “No…” she whispered, her voice gritty with frustration, her fist slamming into the wall behind her. “It can’t have been for nothing…” she struck the wall again, feeling the solid stone against her pale, small hand. “It CAN’T be!”
However, the more Selena thought about it, the harder it was to deny the world she worked in. Cid Turner was the champion. Aside from one loss to Selena that cost him the world title, he had been nigh untouchable. Sure, he lost matches on Breakdown, the talent seemingly rising up with new vigor to raise the bar…
Selena’s eyes flew open. That was something she hadn’t thought of. Since Rise to Greatness, it would be foolish not to notice how much the roster had, seemingly, stepped up. Challengers like Tommy Valentine and Kandis – though Selena despised them both – were making strong statements as they powered through opponents and brought renewed vigor and confidence into their brawls. People like Autumn Valentine had raised the bar – even Cian O’Dwyer had made mention of it – the idea that wins and losses were going to mean more going forward. And why not? With the roster upping their game against mainstay main-eventers like her, Cid, Syren, and Xander Valentine. Hell, hadn’t Kimberly Williams BEATEN Syren just a few weeks ago? If that didn’t scream how much the roster was becoming better in the ring, Selena had no idea what would…
Was…had she played a part in that?
Her eyes blinked slowly, taking in the stone ‘roof’ above her. There was no denying that there were a slew of superstars, perhaps the most ever, wanting their ‘crack’ at the world title and whoever held it. And while Cid Turner claimed that it was him that was responsible for it (typical), Selena could only shake her head at the clearly delusional man.
It hadn’t been Cid or even Selena. She was sure Tommy and Kandis didn’t care about who they faced if it was for the world title – they hated both Cid and Selena. Perhaps Xander Valentine had a preference to face Selena, the Snow Queen wasn’t sure, but that was more due to their history. Regardless, it hadn’t been Cid or Selena that had prompted Glory Braddock to demand the rematch she never had for the world title, or for Syren to continue, despite the losses, to want to earn another spot for the world title, or for the countless people, Selena knew, that would be flooding Twitter once the polls for SCW End of the Year title shot came out.
The roster had gotten better. Tougher. And many believed they were ready to take on being world champion.
A slow smile grew across Selena’s lips at that thought. The idea of facing Glory Braddock, Xander Valentine, any of those that would be considered for the EOY title shot (even Kandis or Ricky James) – even facing someone like Brittany Lohan (whom Selena was sure she had pissed off given last Breakdown) – it excited her. She wanted to face them. She wanted to beat them. She wanted to be the world champion and defend it against all of them BECAUSE all of them had stepped up to the plate, as it were.
Had she helped with that? Even a little? Had her beliefs of being ‘a standard’ of superior ability and passion and resilience... had it played a part in raising the bar that now the rest of the roster were beginning to grab hold of?
It was a longshot – something that could easily be disproven with the right argument, especially with someone as skilled verbally as Cid Turner, Holly Adams or Giovanni Aries, but Selena found herself clutching onto that hope with all she had, letting it fill her being. Her legs shook a little and she let them give, feeling her body slowly sink to the stone ground-
CRUNCH!
The noise surprised her, breaking her mental-dwelling. What the hell had she just sat in?! Her hand flew away to steady herself against the wall as she turned herself to gaze at the ground, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Her second thought was to check her back pocket, but as she did, her pale, scratched hand felt the plastic-wrap of the snack that she had placed there, buying it from a convenience store before making her way here – to her father’s cave.
It was her one indulgence.
With an amused smile, Selena pulled the item out of her pocket, settling back against the stone as she held it in one hand, using the flashlight to illuminate it in the dark, allowing her to see the dark-red strands of licorice.
“Oh, Elsianna…” she smiled, her fingers and thumb rubbing against the candy. “Little things, right…” she whispered… the last lesson she had learned running through her head…
************************
Twelve Days Ago
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
120 km east of Nome, Alaska
November 14th, 2021
11:43am
The morning sun, despite the winter, was shining brighter and warmer than usual for the time of year, and Selena didn’t mind that at all as she stood to the ‘waiting side’ of the tarmac. The wind blew a little and picked up her hair in its soft lift. She could feel the cold that was, regardless of the time of year, Nome, Alaska. It was something she felt comfortable in, something she had lived in for so long.
In truth, while she loved the travelling around the world that being a wrestler of SCW allowed her, she so much preferred the temperate locations like New York, England and the European countries over the shows she had done in places like Florida and Texas. But that wasn’t surprising for someone nicknamed “The Snow Queen”.
“Anyone else nervous?”
The question, cheerful in tone, came from the shorter woman that stood just a few feet from where Selena stood. Despite the clear skies and only small mounds of snow that littered the ground in random places, the woman wore a dark red toque that covered most of her head and matching, extra thick mittens, with a light-brown coat. In other words, bundled up like that, Alejandra VanHohenheim looked damn adorable to the platinum-blonde.
“Naturally.” Came the cynical voice standing further from both women. “Considering we’re walking right into a trap.” Jean Black added with a snort, tightening his grip on the cane he held before himself. Unlike the rest of the Frost family, who had opted for more casual clothes, Jean had stayed to his own style of a black suit and navy-blue dress shirt underneath. Every bit the detective and ‘guard’ as it were, despite being the oldest person there.
“I thought we were all standing.” Came the teasing voice of Jonathan VanHohenheim, Selena’s father, as he rubbed his bare hands together before straightening his black long-coat. Both Alejandra and Zoe Evers gave a good-natured roll of their eyes at the poor attempt at humor before Zoe adjusted her small, black beanie over her ears.
To Selena, it was a moment that caused her to smile, her eyes scanning not only the adults, but the children that stood nearby her and the redhead that was right next to her. Her babies, Elsianna, David and Amiliah, were also dressed in various forms/designs of street wear.
“Why is it so cold?” David whined as he smacked his mittened-hands together, trying to keep warm. “The castle wasn’t this cold!”
Selena’s expression fluttered at that remark. She could not remember the last time she had brought her children to Alaska – she was quite certain today was the first time she had brought Amiliah. David, having spent most of his life living in either New York or Germany wasn’t used to the colder temperatures and Selena found that adorable as well.
“It’s not so bad.” Elsianna replied, patting her little brother protectively on the shoulder. The eldest, having lived most of her life in Pilgrim Springs Orphanage (located an hour from Nome), was far more accustomed to the cold, much like her white-haired mother.
“I’ll never get use to it.” Deanna Frost replied as she quietly huddled a little closer to Selena. While Selena wore a white, button-up shirt with glossy designs of her snowflake on the shoulders (which shined when the sunlight hit it at the right angle) under a similarly designed black coat, Deanna was wearing a dark green sweater and a coat that, while not as thick and large as Alejandra’s, seemed to keep her warm.
“Never say never.” Selena smiled at her wife, taking her hand in hers and lifting the other arm to gather her closer in a sort of cuddle. She couldn’t help but smile. Before her, including the three children, were all nine members of her immediate family.
Nine…when eight years ago, I only had me. the thought made Selena’s eyes well up, a tear or two threatening to form behind her sapphire orbs. Maybe, to some, it wasn’t a big family, but it was hers. And she loved every one of them dearly.
Sadly, that only made her, once again, reconsider the choices they had all made in being here – all of them invited by the ‘yet to appear’ former mayor of-
Selena’s thoughts were interrupted at the sound of machinery coming from beyond the wall of hills and trees that outlined the distant border of the preserve, the sound growing until a helicopter seemed to ‘burst’ onto the scenes from beyond the covered horizon.
“Look!” exclaimed David, pointing a small finger to the skies. “A helicopter!”
The others said nothing, most of them physically growing tense as the helicopter approached the old landing strip they stood near, the sound of the copter blades growing louder as they sliced the air. Birds seemed as disturbed as the Frost family as several were suddenly fleeing the trees as if their homes were on fire! Selena felt her hand being squeezed by her wife’s; their fingers interlaced.
She couldn’t make a snarky remark about the mode of ‘entrance’. The easiest way to access Serpentine Springs had been through aircraft, she and her family having taken her private one to arrive only two hours ago, giving the plane enough time to clear the area so the helicopter could land properly.
“Remember, children.” She spoke, leaning down to be closer to her offspring. “Do not stray from either myself or Jean and Zoe or Grandmother and Grandfather, okay? I want you to have one of us with you at all times.”
Both Elsianna and David gave quick nods as the helicopter began to descend towards the ground. Worriedly, the Snow Queen cast a quick glance at the rest of her family. She saw Jonathan move a little closer to her mother/his wife, as if guarding her. She saw Jean grip his cane more as a weapon than a walking-tool. And her Deanna – her redhead stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Selena, keeping their children back a little…
Still, the helicopter eventually landed, the motors turned off, and the door opened. From there hopped out the inviter, the man for whom all this had been done for. Carefully moving away from the ‘chopper’, Malcolm Scythe straightened his charcoal longcoat and adjusted his black, buttoned-up shirt. To his credit, he was not the disheveled mess that Selena had last seen weeks ago. His hair was properly combed and his beard was trimmed perfectly. If anything, he looked almost as much the mayor of Nome that she had known him as for most of her life.
Almost.
As he drew closer, Selena could still see the exhaustion in the man’s eyes, and the weaker posture where once he had seemed an ‘untouchable pillar of strength’.
Reaching the Frost family, he fiddled with his coat, fluttering it out a little with his hands, as if to shake in the cold of the outside to get accustomed to it.
“Well!” he exclaimed in his accented voice, a smile on his face. “Thank goodness for good weather, right?”
His eyes scanned the crowd before him, taking in all the familiar faces. “Selena.” He opted for the one he knew best. “Thank you for coming and for bringing the children.”
Despite herself, Selena could detect the actual sincerity in the man’s tone. He was genuinely grateful to her – which was beyond weird! Slowly, she gave a nod of her head to acknowledge his words.
“Jean. Zelda.” Malcolm offered the Blacks, who merely stood in place, eyes locked on the former mayor, whose eyes then moved to a face that he needed to study for a few seconds, as if it was one he’d never thought he’d see again. Slowly, the thin man made his way over to the VanHohenheims.
He opened his mouth to speak, almost hesitantly – as if he couldn’t find the right words to say. “Donovan…”
CRACK!
Only to find himself on the grass in less than a second, Jonathan having dropped the man with a straight punch to the jaw!
“JONATHAN!” Alejandra cried in surprise.
“Holy hell!” Selena laughed in shocked delight. “I did not see that coming! Nice shot, dad!”
With only a sternly calm expression, Jonathan stood over the stunned Malcolm, the former politician looking around as if to recollect his bearings after having his world rocked!
“DAD!” the voice came from the helicopter, all eyes moving towards it to see the familiar trio of people running from the chopper towards the fallen man – faces Selena knew too well, her spine growing rigid and her jaw clenching at the sight of one of them.
“NO!” Called out Malcolm, holding a hand up towards the new additions to stop them. “No…” he said again to confirm his order before turning his eyes up to Jonathan, who patiently stood above him. Slowly, the former Donovan Frost offered Malcolm his hand.
“Alright?” he asked calmly, waiting for the former mayor to take the hand so Jonathan could pull him back up to his feet.
Straightening himself a little, Scythe regarded his ‘assailant’. “I believe I had that long-since coming.” He offered with a tired smile while rubbing the soreness out of his jaw. “Probably far worse.”
Jonathan kept his eyes locked on Malcolm. “What father wouldn’t deserve to do worse to the man that did what you did to my daughter?”
“Yes.” Malcolm nodded his head. “For a number of years, I thought that could have been my fate. That you would come here – to Nome – and be the one to finish what Selena had started.”
“He’s not like you.” Alejandra replied coldly, her eyes staring holes into Malcolm’s expression. “Neither is Selena. They don’t ruin lives.”
“And I do.” Malcolm sighed knowingly at the implication, giving a nod of his head. “I always felt that if I could make Nome and my family better off-“ he quickly shook his head. “No, this isn’t the time or place for platitudes or excuses. But I did try to do right by you in some way, Donovan.” He offered.
“That’s why I only threw one punch.” Jonathan stated. “Because you and Anastasia allowed me to be with Alejandra.”
The remark surprised Selena – the idea that one good deed had, somehow, given Malcolm a modicum of forgiveness in the eyes of her father? After the years he had stolen from them?! The memories he had destroyed?!
“I couldn’t…” Malcolm tried, looking away for a moment. “I couldn’t just leave you to die unnecessarily after all I had taken from you. Good or bad… there was a time that I considered you a friend.”
“I don’t remember.” Jonathan replied.
“I know.” Malcolm’s sad smile returned. “And I can’t give those memories back to you. I wish I could.”
The two stood there, an uneasy truce between the two of them.
“I want things…” Malcolm offered, stopping to blow a harsh breath from his mouth. “To be simple today. No politics or money or plans or danger. Just…my family being with yours.”
“Awkward as that will be…” came the slightly amused voice of Talia Scythe as she reached Malcolm, eyeing the man’s jaw where Jonathan had slugged it. “You didn’t even tell them we were coming.”
“Yes.” Malcolm seemed to mentally kick himself. “It was a last second addition. I do apologize.” He mannerly explained. “I hope this will not cause any issues. But both Gavin and Ryan wanted to meet the children too. And they have sworn to be on their best behaviour…”
As if summoned, the tall thin figure of Gavin Scythe reached the group, the kind man offering a genuine smile to Selena, Deanna and the children as he approached them. “Good to see you again.”
He was the only person Selena could smile at. “You too, Gavin.” She offered, reaching out to take the man’s offered hand, as did Deanna when it was her turn. Despite the rough childhood the Snow Queen and younger Scythe had had – with Gavin bullying Selena for the majority of her youth – the two had, indeed, grown more civil, Gavin even helping a little in Selena’s earlier years of SCW as a ‘shoot’ presenter. Despite being a bully in his youth, Gavin had grown into a good man with a good heart, a far cry from his father and brother.
“I’ve…” he tried awkwardly to find words, but the poor man still harbored feelings of guilt around the girl he had tormented in his youth. “I love what you’ve done with your hair!” he offered, causing Selena to cast an eye at Malcolm, who clearly was not listening.
Well, he clearly doesn’t know how I got it… Selena thought, choosing to simply reply with a kind “Thank you.”
However, her smile faded as she beheld the last person to reach the group, her jaw clenching tightly at the sight of the man. Like so many times before, he wore a dark purple suit, choosing a far more ‘business-approach’ than his father had. Still, he looked every inch as imposing as Malcolm usually did.
“Selena.” Ryan Scythe nodded his head, keeping his hands in his coat (which was also a dark purple) pockets and his voice low. Gavin, sensing the tension, quietly excused himself to stand with his father.
“Ryan.” Selena replied, matching the quietness in his voice.
“Still got a thing for snowflakes I see.” He stated, eyeing the designs that elegantly decorated the shoulders of the Snow Queen’s shirt and coat.
“Still think that purple looks good on you?” She shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t recall agreeing to letting you join in.”
“Oh, come on.” Laughed the eldest Scythe son. “Family reunion? Of course, I wouldn’t miss it! I mean, you of all people ought to know that there’s never much going on around in Nome… or has New-York-life spoiled you?”
“That’s actually my job.” Came the defiant voice of Deanna as she stepped forward, her eyes locked on Ryan’s, though she made a deliberate show to take Selena’s hand back into hers. “And I’m very good at it.”
Eyeing her, Ryan seemed to observe her like one would a bug. “Oh yes. The redhead. Went in the opposite direction there, did ya?” teased the man.
“I like to think of it as ‘improving my tastes’.” Selena countered. “But, again, you’re the one that fancies himself in purple suits.”
Giving a grin, Ryan gave shake of his head. “Still wrestling blokes?” tilting his head. “I mean, I guess it’s better than waitressing for Liam but not by much.”
“Ryan.” Came the warning tone of Talia, which caught the attention of Malcolm.
“Ryan.” He half-barked, getting the younger man’s attention. “I believe I made it clear my desire to have a pleasant day for everyone.”
“Oh, we’re just talking.” The suited-man shrugged ‘innocently’. “Catching up on old times.”
A knowing smirk came from Malcolm. “Well, let me put this in a way you’ll understand. Behave yourself or you’ll be ‘catching up’ to us by WALKING back to Nome. Understood?”
Taken aback, Ryan inhaled sharply through his nose before answering through gritted teeth. “Perfectly.”
That, however, didn’t seem to be enough for the former mayor, who walked the few steps needed to stand eye to eye with his son. “Try me, boy.” He warned in a quieter, dead-calm voice, glaring daggers into Ryan’s eyes until the son, embarrassed, backed away to stand by Talia.
It was too much for Selena to take.
“You got in trouble…” she whisper-sang. “You got in trouble.”
She could see Ryan narrow his eyes at her, but, otherwise, said nothing. Malcolm, however, had moved past them to stand before Elsianna and David. To Selena’s shock, especially after seeing the display he had given to Ryan (which was far more ‘Malcolm-esque’ to her), she watched Malcolm slowly lower himself until he was kneeling before both children.
“Hello, Elsianna. Hello, David.” He smiled at them but kept a respectable distance from them. “I want to thank you for giving me a chance to meet you today. I know…” his breath seemed to hitch in his throat for a split-second. “I know that there is much I need to atone for where you are concerned…but I want to try today.”
Again, that sense of genuineness was present in his voice, which continued to unnerve both Selena and Deanna. Everyone remained silent, no one sure of what to do, until David raised his hand, his eyes on Malcolm.
“Ah yes, David?” Malcolm asked, a little uneasy.
The second-born took a slow breath. “Ummm…What does ‘atone’ mean?”
A laughter rippled through all of them – Selena and Deanna included. Perhaps it was the young boy’s innocence or naivety, captured beautifully in his expression. To David, the issues between the Scythes and Frosts families didn’t matter. Nor did the things Malcolm had done. All he knew were two things: he was seeing family and it was cold as hell. That was all that occupied the youth’s mind.
For a moment, Malcolm’s hand moved as if he wanted to reach out and ruffle the boy’s hair, but he quickly yanked it back without looking at Selena, as if catching himself and knowing not to overstep. Carefully, he pushed himself to his feet. “Well, now that the pleasantries are out of the way…” Malcolm offered. “Shall we?”
He was the first to make his way along the path towards the resort, the rest of the Scythe family following next, followed by the Frost family.
Just let them be safe… Selena quietly prayed. Whatever happens… let my children be safe…
----------------------------------
Project: Black Ice
”Families’ Reunion”
The wind howls as she walks across the desert of snow. She can feel the cold in every part of her body – even to the depths of her bones. She casts a look behind her and can see the many trees, stripped of their leaves and parts of their bark.
She is alone in this familiar wood. That is something that chills her more than the cold… Why is she alone?
She looks down at her hands, but they are merely clutching at her arms as if trying to keep herself warm, the snow covering parts of her and the green sweater she wears. Why is she alone?
Had she left her beloved behind this time? Had she been too late to even pick up her wife’s broken form? Or had something gotten in her way?
She doesn’t remember – the wind is so loud that it’s drowning out her own memories as she walks through the snowstorm.
Just keep going… she tells herself. Eventually, you’ll die and wake up.
She knows she is dreaming this time around. It happens from time to time where she is not completely lost in her own nightmare. She knows that, sooner or later, she’ll reach wherever her mind is taking her and she’ll die.
It’s why she also feels nothing, except for the cold and the ache of being alone.
She almost smirks at that. There was a time when she was a cold Snow Queen. She needed no one. Not in her wars, not in her survival – even when she was married, she could still be “The Snow Queen” in SCW. A force that could be as unstoppable as Xander Valentine and as creative and quick as Vixen Cain.
Yet now? Ever since the early-ons of this year? Her mind could not separate the two parts. The private, kind, yearning to be loved Selena, and the driven, cold and passionate mix that was the Snow Queen. Deanna had made that impossible to the point that, even in the depths of her dreams, Selena was far sadder that her wife was not there with her than anything else.
The clearing came eventually, as it always did, allowing Selena to enter into a wide area that housed some kind of complex. Had she seen such a complex before? Yes, once…
Before her eyes, the storm cleared – the snow suddenly falling and the skies remaining dark and ominous, but it allowed Selena to see the frozen corpses that littered the ground. They were all in various positions. Some kneeling, some praying, some bowing, some with their heads in the dirt.
There were dozens…maybe hundreds…
Had he let them all just freeze out here? Had he let them all die out here?
She could see a hill just a way’s away, and a tent at the bottom of it. The front of the flap opened and, from the tent, Selena could spy lit candles and wicker chairs for a moment before her vision was blocked by the occupants coming out.
Cid Turner stepped out first, adjusting his shirt buttons with one hand, the SCW World title held in his other hand. He reached out towards the tent, where a small hand took his offered one.
Selena’s eyes widened in shock as she saw her wife – her beloved – being lead by Cid Turner out of the tent and to the base of the complex, only a few yards from where Selena stood. Despite her stomach twisting in knots at the sight, it only got worse as Selena spied the enlargement of Deanna’s belly.
No…that sick fuck… her mind cursed, but no words would come out – part of her trying to recall that this was all just a nightmare!
But the sight a pregnant Deanna continued to play on her as Cid put his arm around the redhead, not like she would – not with any care or affection, not as if he cared about her - but rather that he was ‘claiming her’ as his property, much in the same way he held the world championship.
The cold began to creep up Selena’s legs, but it was being pressed back by her increasing, unyielding rage.
I’ll kill you… her mind hissed towards the bearded bastard. I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!
She took a step forward when a flash of white and blue flew across her vision. Turning her head, she saw one of the ‘corpses’ that had been frozen to death looking at her with dead, pale eyes… holding up the Snow Queen’s left arm with a sick, twisted grin.
Turning her head, Selena saw the bloody stump that had housed that arm. Her only good arm shaking, she tried to reach out to it, but was suddenly face down in the snow, looking up to see another ‘ice-zombie’ glaring down at her, this one holding one of her legs (she recognized the running shoe the appendage still had on).
She wanted to feel pain. She wanted to scream out. But all she felt was rage. With a yell that gave no sound, she pushed her hand into the snowy earth, pushing herself onto her one good knee.
Looking around, she saw the mass of the dead… the mindless people that were obeying Cid Turner. People that had sold their souls for something that they thought Cid could give them – believed so much that they had sold their humanity for it. Casting her eyes up, she could see past the mass that was closing in on her, to see Cid smiling smugly. Giovanni Aries was standing beside him, along with that man that had spoken so highly of Cid and Deanna at the complex, Selena hadn’t heard his name.
And beyond them, beyond the complex – were those eyes. Eyes that glowed above the skies as they looked down at Selena.
Eyes filled with cruelty.
Eyes filled with hunger.
Eyes that cared for nothing but themselves.
Was that Cid Turner? Or was it Gleebnorb?
A sad smile broke across Selena’s face as she watched the people before her and the ‘being’ that seemed beyond powerful. “I’m going to die…” she managed to whisper, her eyes returning to Deanna.
“It’s okay…” she whispered. “I won’t let this happen. I won’t ever let you be that unhappy…” she vowed to the redhead before the masses descended upon her.
And then… oblivion…
*******************
The Frost-Cave
Nome, Alaska
November 27th, 2021
7:23pm
She felt the weight drop off her as she slung the large, black duffle-bag off her shoulder, letting it continue its short journey as it hit the ground with a decent-sounding ‘thud’ sound. Before her, even in the dim dark of the cave, she could make out the evidence of her existence here for the last near two weeks. The pit where she always made a fire for herself to sleep near still had decent amounts of wood and ashes within it and, if she looked hard enough, she would find a few small stains of dried blood on the nearby walls where she had, sometimes in anger and sometimes in training, punched her fists against the walls until the stone had worn off some of the skin from her knuckles.
At the memory, Selena cast her eyes downward, lifting her right hand and turning it towards her face to examine the red lines of healing cuts along her pale knuckles in the moonlight. She had worn fingerless gloves to the last few Breakdowns to hide the cuts. Was she ashamed of them? Of course not. Her body was covered in scars, like the details on a map or the words in a book, detailing the story that had been her wrestling career. There were long scars that interlaced and ran down her sides from the cat-o-nine-tails of barbed wire. Being thrown through glass and plexiglass had scarred part of her back and she had lost track of the number of stitches that had been put in her head in the last eight years – the last two years ALONE - from cheap shots with weaponry. No… Selena would never be ashamed of the proof that marked her body – proof of the wars she had survived. But the last thing she wanted was people like the growing collection of ‘prophets’ and ‘saviours’ in Holly Adam’s little group to find out and twist it into something that it wasn’t. Or, worse yet, in the case of Cid Turner, continue to take credit for it.
In the dimly-moonlit-cave, the platinum-blonde kept quiet as she rekindled her fire – the makeshift ‘firepit’ of wood and stones far enough inside that the cold and wind of the winter couldn’t reach it enough to extinguish it. Making a fire – she almost scoffed as she watched the flames slowly grow and dance into existence as they fed on the lumber, crackling sounds filling the space – had been something that her father had taught her at a very young age, camping and exploring the cold and the caves of Nome being something the Frost family had done for generations.
She felt the warmth from the flames spread up and across her face, feeling it against her pale cheeks as she watched the flames’ light dance across the walls of the cave. Quietly, she removed her jacket, tossing it beside her bag and feeling a little of the familiar cold hit her through the dark-green sweater she wore. Least I can feel those things… she thought wistfully. The warmth of the fire and the cold of the wind… Perhaps it wasn’t much, but to Selena Frost, she was grateful to feel something for the first time in the last few days.
Emotionally, she had not felt much of anything as she had left Ohio. Her flight back here – to Nome – had been slowed by the weather, but the dark of the night had not delayed her driving and walking the necessary distance back to her father’s cave. She knew the route by heart – the years she had spent in this ‘castle of stone’ – as much a part of her as the snow and cold of Nome and the city-life of New York.
Maybe that was the problem… she had sort-of been on automatic pilot, simply going through the motions after that night. She hadn’t allowed herself to truly dwell on what had happened – to truly concentrate on the implications of what had occurred.
Eight years… she heard the echo in her mind, as if the words had been spoken in a whisper as she continued to watch the blaze. Eight years and never…
She gave a long inhale and exhale of breath, shaking her head before turning it to gaze down the path she had walked. She could just make out the entrance to the cave, several yards away, appearing like a small dot of night, moonlight and winter snow. With a push off her knees, Selena was on her feet, moving over to her bag to dig out her flashlight (lying next to the small zip-lock bag of batteries for said flashlight). Giving a quick check and shake of the black metal tool, the platinum-blonde turned it on before making her way around the pit and further into the cave.
“Not going to sleep much right now, anyway.” She said aloud, hearing her voice echo a little in the halls of stone. “Yeah, yeah.” She replied back, not expecting any reply.
She wished Deanna was here-
Quickly, she slammed her mind down on that thought, extinguishing it as fast as it had formed. It was her fault Deanna wasn’t here. She had chosen to stay behind – needed to – weeks ago, though if Breakdown a few nights ago had been any indication of the Snow Queen’s ‘progress’…
To distract herself, Selena lifted her free hand to run along the stone wall. It was course and bumpy in some places, sharp and fine in others, and smooth in others still. Still, they all held one attribute in common. They were all cold.
It had been a few years since mining in her father’s cave had ceased, the excavation team having declared that the mine was completely emptied of gold. Empty… Selena thought as she walked down the tunnel. It feels so empty… Emptier than ever before…
The notion brought up the familiar doubt in her mind – doubt of what the hell she expected to find here now. The question was laughable to her because, quite simply, she couldn’t answer it because she didn’t even know what she was looking for to begin with. Was it purpose? Was it ghosts? Was it that cold instinct that gave her an edge when she needed it most? Was any of that even true or something she just needed like a security blanket or like Elisanna with Sir Crackshell.
In the past, this place had always been her ‘sanctuary’, her place to go when the world was too cruel or when she was too lost. When her father had ‘disappeared’, she had turned his cave into her world, continuing to dig and mine for gold simply to prove him right about it. When she had joined the world of SCW, she had, every now and then, been drawn back here. Back to the cold and back to the dark to embrace her full nature, who she was as “The Snow Queen”. Moments like her war with Bree Lancaster, when she felt the lowest and least sure of herself, this cave, with its hidden treasure, had reminded her to never give up and never give in. That she was a Frost, an Alaskan Dragon, and so much more! To always keep going. Even if it was just a step at a time. Except now, there was no more hidden treasure…
Keep going… her mind instructed. Keep going…
It was all she could do in the moment, her eyes taking in the wide halls that had been carved by hands and machines so much stronger and far more numerous than her own. It had stunned her how much further the team had gone than she had. In reality, and seeing the paths before her, she felt a small sense of sadness.
If I had not gotten lucky… her eyes gazed down the path as she continued to walk. I never would have reached this far.
It was a somber thought. In the ten-plus years she had been digging on her own, using only her father’s old tools to aid her and his memory/faith in the mine to fuel her, she had only made a short distance into the cave’s interior. At that rate, she would have lived and died digging and would never have made it as far as the tunnels now extended before her.
Was that all this has been? She asked herself. Luck?
The thought haunted her. For so long, she had despised the notion of fate – doing all she could to fight against it and forge her own path. But time and time again, fate had reared its ugly head to take her down. The DeCarlos, the Frost/Frostmeres, the Scythes, and then there was SCW.
A sad laugh escaped her, condescending a little in the cold cave. Her entire SCW career had begun on a whim, working a shift at Liam’s bar (her regular job) and, desperate to do anything to escape that life, she had run away from Nome, gambling all she had on one shot – one opportunity at the End of the Year Special.
Had she just been lucky to see that advertisement? What if she hadn’t? Or missed her shift due to sickness or tending to her ‘Snow-Child’?
Don’t think like that! she chastised herself. Didn’t you and Deanna talk about ‘what-ifs’?!
Deanna…
Despite herself, Selena’s brain continued to travel down the what-ifs. It had been such good fortune that she had just met Deanna on a whim as well, being in Kentucky when she was, being part of an auction for the town, and Deanna being there. Fate or luck, Selena knew that she had had no part in their meeting occurring. “But again…” she whispered to herself. “Was it just luck?”
With a surprised yelp, Selena pulled her hand back off the wall as it encountered a sharper section of rock. Checking her hand quickly under the flashlight, she gave it a quick shake before continuing down the path.
She knew where the doubt was coming from. Or, to be more accurate, what had allowed it to come to the surface and not be swatted away by Selena’s personal belief in herself, Deanna, and her life.
It was SCW. It was Cid Turner.
She had admitted the truth in her last Breakdown promo. That she wasn’t ready to beat Cid Turner in the ring, it was why she had stayed here in the first place. She needed – she needed –
It didn’t really matter if she couldn’t put it to words just yet. She had already spent a week in this cave – camping and enduring the cold, longer than she had ever spent during her wrestling career, only leaving to attend Breakdown. And despite that, she had still failed to send a statement to Cid Turner or to SCW about the match – to prove to SCW (and to herself) that she was ready to fight for the World title again.
Instead, what had happened…
The Snow Queen shook her head. She still could not believe it herself. Eight years… and never…
The shock finally came – delayed from disbelief and the loss she had suffered at the hands of the Giovanni Aries. A fan had attacked her…
Not a superstar or a bitter rival like Cid with a title belt or Holly to protect her ‘money-maker client’. No… a fan. A person that was part of the universe that she had, for years, wrestled for. A member of the SCW Universe that she had risked so much in her life, fighting for the survival and integrity of SCW for them… a member of that universe had jumped the barricade… just to assault her.
“Conceal…” she whispered, leaning up against the side wall of stone, her eyes cast upwards. “Don’t feel…” she added, her mantra being repeated as she tried to process everything, perhaps for the first time since last Breakdown. The rumors had reached her ears eventually, with claims of the assailant being ‘a plant’ or ‘a paid individual’ but certainly not an actual ‘fan’ of SCW. But, despite those notes, Selena couldn’t shake the chance that the rumors were wrong.
Were the fans really buying into Giovanni Aries and his ‘nirvana’? What did that say about Holly’s Group? About Cid Turner’s beliefs? About her own?
For eight long years, Selena had known she was a minority in terms of ideals in SCW – one of the few people that didn’t subscribe to the idea of ‘win at all cost’. Who preferred honesty over twisted logic and corrupt/bias narratives. She knew she was one of the few people like that – others coming and going depending on their success rate within the company or, perhaps, needing to ‘gain an edge’ in the company. Few stayed valiant to those ideals as soon as things got tough, even people that had been as noble as David Helms and Chris Cannon had taken shortcuts and tactics to boost their career.
And maybe Selena could have had success – greater success – if she had just ‘followed that path’ like everyone else. What if she had a clan of superstars protecting her like Syren had? She probably wouldn’t have as many scars on her body. She probably wouldn’t have had to wait four years for another crack at the World title. Maybe she could have done wonders with Platinum, or been part of Past, Present and Future if she had just thought and acted like Sienna Swann and Josh Hudson.
But the SCW Universe, their belief in her. Hell, even their jeers in some places – so engaged and passionate! She always thought that they, too, believed in the SCW she was trying to keep alive. That she was trying to make the forefront of the company’s reputation. Supreme wrestling, integrity, quality matches that didn’t require ambushes or interference but skill and passion and, sometimes, even some luck! She had thought that the SCW Universe believed in that, even if some of them didn’t like her.
But to have a member of that universe assault her…
Without thinking, Selena’s hand ghosted up to her side, pressing against the sweater and her rib, her mind flashing to the scars that she knew marred that area. Was it all for nothing? Had she just been fooling herself? Were the eight years of wanting to make a difference in SCW… had it made any difference at all? Who else had held the World title like she had in the last five or even ten years? Names like David Helms, Chris Cannon, Kennedy Street and Amy Chastaine came to mind but far and away, they were outnumbered by the countless former champions that had used the same tactics over and over again. Tactics Cid Turner used. The Ace Marshalls, the Syrens, the Sienna Swanns, the Bree Lancasters – and that was just in the last few years.
Forcing her eyes shut to try and turn off the emotions raging within her, Selena’s head rested against the stone-wall. “No…” she whispered, her voice gritty with frustration, her fist slamming into the wall behind her. “It can’t have been for nothing…” she struck the wall again, feeling the solid stone against her pale, small hand. “It CAN’T be!”
However, the more Selena thought about it, the harder it was to deny the world she worked in. Cid Turner was the champion. Aside from one loss to Selena that cost him the world title, he had been nigh untouchable. Sure, he lost matches on Breakdown, the talent seemingly rising up with new vigor to raise the bar…
Selena’s eyes flew open. That was something she hadn’t thought of. Since Rise to Greatness, it would be foolish not to notice how much the roster had, seemingly, stepped up. Challengers like Tommy Valentine and Kandis – though Selena despised them both – were making strong statements as they powered through opponents and brought renewed vigor and confidence into their brawls. People like Autumn Valentine had raised the bar – even Cian O’Dwyer had made mention of it – the idea that wins and losses were going to mean more going forward. And why not? With the roster upping their game against mainstay main-eventers like her, Cid, Syren, and Xander Valentine. Hell, hadn’t Kimberly Williams BEATEN Syren just a few weeks ago? If that didn’t scream how much the roster was becoming better in the ring, Selena had no idea what would…
Was…had she played a part in that?
Her eyes blinked slowly, taking in the stone ‘roof’ above her. There was no denying that there were a slew of superstars, perhaps the most ever, wanting their ‘crack’ at the world title and whoever held it. And while Cid Turner claimed that it was him that was responsible for it (typical), Selena could only shake her head at the clearly delusional man.
It hadn’t been Cid or even Selena. She was sure Tommy and Kandis didn’t care about who they faced if it was for the world title – they hated both Cid and Selena. Perhaps Xander Valentine had a preference to face Selena, the Snow Queen wasn’t sure, but that was more due to their history. Regardless, it hadn’t been Cid or Selena that had prompted Glory Braddock to demand the rematch she never had for the world title, or for Syren to continue, despite the losses, to want to earn another spot for the world title, or for the countless people, Selena knew, that would be flooding Twitter once the polls for SCW End of the Year title shot came out.
The roster had gotten better. Tougher. And many believed they were ready to take on being world champion.
A slow smile grew across Selena’s lips at that thought. The idea of facing Glory Braddock, Xander Valentine, any of those that would be considered for the EOY title shot (even Kandis or Ricky James) – even facing someone like Brittany Lohan (whom Selena was sure she had pissed off given last Breakdown) – it excited her. She wanted to face them. She wanted to beat them. She wanted to be the world champion and defend it against all of them BECAUSE all of them had stepped up to the plate, as it were.
Had she helped with that? Even a little? Had her beliefs of being ‘a standard’ of superior ability and passion and resilience... had it played a part in raising the bar that now the rest of the roster were beginning to grab hold of?
It was a longshot – something that could easily be disproven with the right argument, especially with someone as skilled verbally as Cid Turner, Holly Adams or Giovanni Aries, but Selena found herself clutching onto that hope with all she had, letting it fill her being. Her legs shook a little and she let them give, feeling her body slowly sink to the stone ground-
CRUNCH!
The noise surprised her, breaking her mental-dwelling. What the hell had she just sat in?! Her hand flew away to steady herself against the wall as she turned herself to gaze at the ground, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Her second thought was to check her back pocket, but as she did, her pale, scratched hand felt the plastic-wrap of the snack that she had placed there, buying it from a convenience store before making her way here – to her father’s cave.
It was her one indulgence.
With an amused smile, Selena pulled the item out of her pocket, settling back against the stone as she held it in one hand, using the flashlight to illuminate it in the dark, allowing her to see the dark-red strands of licorice.
“Oh, Elsianna…” she smiled, her fingers and thumb rubbing against the candy. “Little things, right…” she whispered… the last lesson she had learned running through her head…
************************
Twelve Days Ago
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
120 km east of Nome, Alaska
November 14th, 2021
11:43am
The morning sun, despite the winter, was shining brighter and warmer than usual for the time of year, and Selena didn’t mind that at all as she stood to the ‘waiting side’ of the tarmac. The wind blew a little and picked up her hair in its soft lift. She could feel the cold that was, regardless of the time of year, Nome, Alaska. It was something she felt comfortable in, something she had lived in for so long.
In truth, while she loved the travelling around the world that being a wrestler of SCW allowed her, she so much preferred the temperate locations like New York, England and the European countries over the shows she had done in places like Florida and Texas. But that wasn’t surprising for someone nicknamed “The Snow Queen”.
“Anyone else nervous?”
The question, cheerful in tone, came from the shorter woman that stood just a few feet from where Selena stood. Despite the clear skies and only small mounds of snow that littered the ground in random places, the woman wore a dark red toque that covered most of her head and matching, extra thick mittens, with a light-brown coat. In other words, bundled up like that, Alejandra VanHohenheim looked damn adorable to the platinum-blonde.
“Naturally.” Came the cynical voice standing further from both women. “Considering we’re walking right into a trap.” Jean Black added with a snort, tightening his grip on the cane he held before himself. Unlike the rest of the Frost family, who had opted for more casual clothes, Jean had stayed to his own style of a black suit and navy-blue dress shirt underneath. Every bit the detective and ‘guard’ as it were, despite being the oldest person there.
“I thought we were all standing.” Came the teasing voice of Jonathan VanHohenheim, Selena’s father, as he rubbed his bare hands together before straightening his black long-coat. Both Alejandra and Zoe Evers gave a good-natured roll of their eyes at the poor attempt at humor before Zoe adjusted her small, black beanie over her ears.
To Selena, it was a moment that caused her to smile, her eyes scanning not only the adults, but the children that stood nearby her and the redhead that was right next to her. Her babies, Elsianna, David and Amiliah, were also dressed in various forms/designs of street wear.
“Why is it so cold?” David whined as he smacked his mittened-hands together, trying to keep warm. “The castle wasn’t this cold!”
Selena’s expression fluttered at that remark. She could not remember the last time she had brought her children to Alaska – she was quite certain today was the first time she had brought Amiliah. David, having spent most of his life living in either New York or Germany wasn’t used to the colder temperatures and Selena found that adorable as well.
“It’s not so bad.” Elsianna replied, patting her little brother protectively on the shoulder. The eldest, having lived most of her life in Pilgrim Springs Orphanage (located an hour from Nome), was far more accustomed to the cold, much like her white-haired mother.
“I’ll never get use to it.” Deanna Frost replied as she quietly huddled a little closer to Selena. While Selena wore a white, button-up shirt with glossy designs of her snowflake on the shoulders (which shined when the sunlight hit it at the right angle) under a similarly designed black coat, Deanna was wearing a dark green sweater and a coat that, while not as thick and large as Alejandra’s, seemed to keep her warm.
“Never say never.” Selena smiled at her wife, taking her hand in hers and lifting the other arm to gather her closer in a sort of cuddle. She couldn’t help but smile. Before her, including the three children, were all nine members of her immediate family.
Nine…when eight years ago, I only had me. the thought made Selena’s eyes well up, a tear or two threatening to form behind her sapphire orbs. Maybe, to some, it wasn’t a big family, but it was hers. And she loved every one of them dearly.
Sadly, that only made her, once again, reconsider the choices they had all made in being here – all of them invited by the ‘yet to appear’ former mayor of-
Selena’s thoughts were interrupted at the sound of machinery coming from beyond the wall of hills and trees that outlined the distant border of the preserve, the sound growing until a helicopter seemed to ‘burst’ onto the scenes from beyond the covered horizon.
“Look!” exclaimed David, pointing a small finger to the skies. “A helicopter!”
The others said nothing, most of them physically growing tense as the helicopter approached the old landing strip they stood near, the sound of the copter blades growing louder as they sliced the air. Birds seemed as disturbed as the Frost family as several were suddenly fleeing the trees as if their homes were on fire! Selena felt her hand being squeezed by her wife’s; their fingers interlaced.
She couldn’t make a snarky remark about the mode of ‘entrance’. The easiest way to access Serpentine Springs had been through aircraft, she and her family having taken her private one to arrive only two hours ago, giving the plane enough time to clear the area so the helicopter could land properly.
“Remember, children.” She spoke, leaning down to be closer to her offspring. “Do not stray from either myself or Jean and Zoe or Grandmother and Grandfather, okay? I want you to have one of us with you at all times.”
Both Elsianna and David gave quick nods as the helicopter began to descend towards the ground. Worriedly, the Snow Queen cast a quick glance at the rest of her family. She saw Jonathan move a little closer to her mother/his wife, as if guarding her. She saw Jean grip his cane more as a weapon than a walking-tool. And her Deanna – her redhead stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Selena, keeping their children back a little…
Still, the helicopter eventually landed, the motors turned off, and the door opened. From there hopped out the inviter, the man for whom all this had been done for. Carefully moving away from the ‘chopper’, Malcolm Scythe straightened his charcoal longcoat and adjusted his black, buttoned-up shirt. To his credit, he was not the disheveled mess that Selena had last seen weeks ago. His hair was properly combed and his beard was trimmed perfectly. If anything, he looked almost as much the mayor of Nome that she had known him as for most of her life.
Almost.
As he drew closer, Selena could still see the exhaustion in the man’s eyes, and the weaker posture where once he had seemed an ‘untouchable pillar of strength’.
Reaching the Frost family, he fiddled with his coat, fluttering it out a little with his hands, as if to shake in the cold of the outside to get accustomed to it.
“Well!” he exclaimed in his accented voice, a smile on his face. “Thank goodness for good weather, right?”
His eyes scanned the crowd before him, taking in all the familiar faces. “Selena.” He opted for the one he knew best. “Thank you for coming and for bringing the children.”
Despite herself, Selena could detect the actual sincerity in the man’s tone. He was genuinely grateful to her – which was beyond weird! Slowly, she gave a nod of her head to acknowledge his words.
“Jean. Zelda.” Malcolm offered the Blacks, who merely stood in place, eyes locked on the former mayor, whose eyes then moved to a face that he needed to study for a few seconds, as if it was one he’d never thought he’d see again. Slowly, the thin man made his way over to the VanHohenheims.
He opened his mouth to speak, almost hesitantly – as if he couldn’t find the right words to say. “Donovan…”
CRACK!
Only to find himself on the grass in less than a second, Jonathan having dropped the man with a straight punch to the jaw!
“JONATHAN!” Alejandra cried in surprise.
“Holy hell!” Selena laughed in shocked delight. “I did not see that coming! Nice shot, dad!”
With only a sternly calm expression, Jonathan stood over the stunned Malcolm, the former politician looking around as if to recollect his bearings after having his world rocked!
“DAD!” the voice came from the helicopter, all eyes moving towards it to see the familiar trio of people running from the chopper towards the fallen man – faces Selena knew too well, her spine growing rigid and her jaw clenching at the sight of one of them.
“NO!” Called out Malcolm, holding a hand up towards the new additions to stop them. “No…” he said again to confirm his order before turning his eyes up to Jonathan, who patiently stood above him. Slowly, the former Donovan Frost offered Malcolm his hand.
“Alright?” he asked calmly, waiting for the former mayor to take the hand so Jonathan could pull him back up to his feet.
Straightening himself a little, Scythe regarded his ‘assailant’. “I believe I had that long-since coming.” He offered with a tired smile while rubbing the soreness out of his jaw. “Probably far worse.”
Jonathan kept his eyes locked on Malcolm. “What father wouldn’t deserve to do worse to the man that did what you did to my daughter?”
“Yes.” Malcolm nodded his head. “For a number of years, I thought that could have been my fate. That you would come here – to Nome – and be the one to finish what Selena had started.”
“He’s not like you.” Alejandra replied coldly, her eyes staring holes into Malcolm’s expression. “Neither is Selena. They don’t ruin lives.”
“And I do.” Malcolm sighed knowingly at the implication, giving a nod of his head. “I always felt that if I could make Nome and my family better off-“ he quickly shook his head. “No, this isn’t the time or place for platitudes or excuses. But I did try to do right by you in some way, Donovan.” He offered.
“That’s why I only threw one punch.” Jonathan stated. “Because you and Anastasia allowed me to be with Alejandra.”
The remark surprised Selena – the idea that one good deed had, somehow, given Malcolm a modicum of forgiveness in the eyes of her father? After the years he had stolen from them?! The memories he had destroyed?!
“I couldn’t…” Malcolm tried, looking away for a moment. “I couldn’t just leave you to die unnecessarily after all I had taken from you. Good or bad… there was a time that I considered you a friend.”
“I don’t remember.” Jonathan replied.
“I know.” Malcolm’s sad smile returned. “And I can’t give those memories back to you. I wish I could.”
The two stood there, an uneasy truce between the two of them.
“I want things…” Malcolm offered, stopping to blow a harsh breath from his mouth. “To be simple today. No politics or money or plans or danger. Just…my family being with yours.”
“Awkward as that will be…” came the slightly amused voice of Talia Scythe as she reached Malcolm, eyeing the man’s jaw where Jonathan had slugged it. “You didn’t even tell them we were coming.”
“Yes.” Malcolm seemed to mentally kick himself. “It was a last second addition. I do apologize.” He mannerly explained. “I hope this will not cause any issues. But both Gavin and Ryan wanted to meet the children too. And they have sworn to be on their best behaviour…”
As if summoned, the tall thin figure of Gavin Scythe reached the group, the kind man offering a genuine smile to Selena, Deanna and the children as he approached them. “Good to see you again.”
He was the only person Selena could smile at. “You too, Gavin.” She offered, reaching out to take the man’s offered hand, as did Deanna when it was her turn. Despite the rough childhood the Snow Queen and younger Scythe had had – with Gavin bullying Selena for the majority of her youth – the two had, indeed, grown more civil, Gavin even helping a little in Selena’s earlier years of SCW as a ‘shoot’ presenter. Despite being a bully in his youth, Gavin had grown into a good man with a good heart, a far cry from his father and brother.
“I’ve…” he tried awkwardly to find words, but the poor man still harbored feelings of guilt around the girl he had tormented in his youth. “I love what you’ve done with your hair!” he offered, causing Selena to cast an eye at Malcolm, who clearly was not listening.
Well, he clearly doesn’t know how I got it… Selena thought, choosing to simply reply with a kind “Thank you.”
However, her smile faded as she beheld the last person to reach the group, her jaw clenching tightly at the sight of the man. Like so many times before, he wore a dark purple suit, choosing a far more ‘business-approach’ than his father had. Still, he looked every inch as imposing as Malcolm usually did.
“Selena.” Ryan Scythe nodded his head, keeping his hands in his coat (which was also a dark purple) pockets and his voice low. Gavin, sensing the tension, quietly excused himself to stand with his father.
“Ryan.” Selena replied, matching the quietness in his voice.
“Still got a thing for snowflakes I see.” He stated, eyeing the designs that elegantly decorated the shoulders of the Snow Queen’s shirt and coat.
“Still think that purple looks good on you?” She shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t recall agreeing to letting you join in.”
“Oh, come on.” Laughed the eldest Scythe son. “Family reunion? Of course, I wouldn’t miss it! I mean, you of all people ought to know that there’s never much going on around in Nome… or has New-York-life spoiled you?”
“That’s actually my job.” Came the defiant voice of Deanna as she stepped forward, her eyes locked on Ryan’s, though she made a deliberate show to take Selena’s hand back into hers. “And I’m very good at it.”
Eyeing her, Ryan seemed to observe her like one would a bug. “Oh yes. The redhead. Went in the opposite direction there, did ya?” teased the man.
“I like to think of it as ‘improving my tastes’.” Selena countered. “But, again, you’re the one that fancies himself in purple suits.”
Giving a grin, Ryan gave shake of his head. “Still wrestling blokes?” tilting his head. “I mean, I guess it’s better than waitressing for Liam but not by much.”
“Ryan.” Came the warning tone of Talia, which caught the attention of Malcolm.
“Ryan.” He half-barked, getting the younger man’s attention. “I believe I made it clear my desire to have a pleasant day for everyone.”
“Oh, we’re just talking.” The suited-man shrugged ‘innocently’. “Catching up on old times.”
A knowing smirk came from Malcolm. “Well, let me put this in a way you’ll understand. Behave yourself or you’ll be ‘catching up’ to us by WALKING back to Nome. Understood?”
Taken aback, Ryan inhaled sharply through his nose before answering through gritted teeth. “Perfectly.”
That, however, didn’t seem to be enough for the former mayor, who walked the few steps needed to stand eye to eye with his son. “Try me, boy.” He warned in a quieter, dead-calm voice, glaring daggers into Ryan’s eyes until the son, embarrassed, backed away to stand by Talia.
It was too much for Selena to take.
“You got in trouble…” she whisper-sang. “You got in trouble.”
She could see Ryan narrow his eyes at her, but, otherwise, said nothing. Malcolm, however, had moved past them to stand before Elsianna and David. To Selena’s shock, especially after seeing the display he had given to Ryan (which was far more ‘Malcolm-esque’ to her), she watched Malcolm slowly lower himself until he was kneeling before both children.
“Hello, Elsianna. Hello, David.” He smiled at them but kept a respectable distance from them. “I want to thank you for giving me a chance to meet you today. I know…” his breath seemed to hitch in his throat for a split-second. “I know that there is much I need to atone for where you are concerned…but I want to try today.”
Again, that sense of genuineness was present in his voice, which continued to unnerve both Selena and Deanna. Everyone remained silent, no one sure of what to do, until David raised his hand, his eyes on Malcolm.
“Ah yes, David?” Malcolm asked, a little uneasy.
The second-born took a slow breath. “Ummm…What does ‘atone’ mean?”
A laughter rippled through all of them – Selena and Deanna included. Perhaps it was the young boy’s innocence or naivety, captured beautifully in his expression. To David, the issues between the Scythes and Frosts families didn’t matter. Nor did the things Malcolm had done. All he knew were two things: he was seeing family and it was cold as hell. That was all that occupied the youth’s mind.
For a moment, Malcolm’s hand moved as if he wanted to reach out and ruffle the boy’s hair, but he quickly yanked it back without looking at Selena, as if catching himself and knowing not to overstep. Carefully, he pushed himself to his feet. “Well, now that the pleasantries are out of the way…” Malcolm offered. “Shall we?”
He was the first to make his way along the path towards the resort, the rest of the Scythe family following next, followed by the Frost family.
Just let them be safe… Selena quietly prayed. Whatever happens… let my children be safe…
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![[Image: hffOaUZ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/hffOaUZ.png)
SCW Supreme Champion
6x SCW World Champion
4x SCW World Tag-Team Champion
2x SCW United States Champion
3x SCW Adrenaline Champion
SCW Television Champion
Longest Reigning SCW World Champion (234 days)
Winner of Shot of Adrenaline Tournament (2016)
Winner of Best of the Best Tournament (2016)
Winner of Trios Tournament (2018)
Winner of U.S. Championship Tournament (2020)
Winner of World Championship Tournament (2023)
Winner of Tactical Warfare (2014, 2019)
Winner of Elimination Chamber (2015, 2024)
Winner of Roofed Cage Match (2019)
Winner of Last Person Standing Match (2019)
The Unbelievable Main Event (2021-2025)
Winner of Double Jeopardy Match (2022)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Winner of Ironman Match (2024)
Wrestler of the Year (2016, 2021, 2022, 2024)
Tag-Team of the Year (2020 - w/ Regan Street)
Match of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024)
Feud of the Year (2014, 2019)
Shocking Moment of the Year (2024)
![[Image: 34zetxl.png]](https://i.ibb.co/SnpvD5T/34zetxl.png)