Post by Ulf Hednir on Aug 6, 2017 0:27:54 GMT
“A foolish man, if he acquires wealth or woman’s love, pride grows within him, but wisdom never: he goes on more and more arrogant.”
-The Havamal
-The Havamal
Jeg sat with a cup of hot tea on Jeg drew in a deep breath as jeg sat on the balcony of the hotel in Cologne, Germany, looking out toward the scenery; the bridge that jeg had seen a few times while visiting here as a child, the scattered lights from the businesses and homes, and the towering cathedral. Jeg allowed myself to lose myself to min own thoughts… about de Invictus Championship jeg failed to win. Jeg sneered at the thought of meg selv being a failure. The thought did not help the bitter feeling jeg felt toward Jayson Matthews; not only did he defeat me, he placed me further away from being entered into Heir to de Throne… DET is hvat had gotten to me. Jeg did not care for the Invictus Championship. Jeg could not lie to meg selv, just as jeg could not lie to my teammates within de Council; jeg could not lie to de people. Jeg simply… did not care to win the Invictus Championship; however, jeg did care about avenging my loss, and showing Jayson Matthews that his victory over me was nothing more than a fluke. Jeg drew in several deep breaths to try to keep the anger jeg felt from consuming min own mind and tried to escape the confines of my mind. Jeg focused on the city and de silence det de early morning hour permitted, which allowed me to calm meg selv. Upon finding my calm, min silence was disturbed by de voice in de background… de tone, de accent, told meg it was Xavier Cross, hvem had a better night than jeg.
“Tough break out there, kid,” said Xavier Cross, as he joined the gaze over the city; his voice had a hint of mischief to it, “I thought for sure that you had his number. It came as a surprise to me that he mustered the will to beat you…”
“Ja, jeg thought so, too. But these things… de skjer,” jeg really did not want to talk about de match, but jeg could not bring myself to tell that to Xavier. Jeg thought that a quick response may get him to change the subject, jeg said with a shrug, not allowing my gaze to falter from de skyline as jeg lifted my cup of tea to sip from it.
Xavier Cross kept a smirk on his face, and his eyes had locked on Ulf Hednir who was paying little mind to him and he could sense that Ulf was trying to dismiss the conversation; however, he chose to persist, “You know that you cannot let him off that easily… He still got his nose into our business, and he has not suffered properly. You know that, right?”
Jeg felt det he was not going to let me escape from this topic, and jeg knew that it was not yet over; administration saw fit to book me against Jayson Matthews in a rematch… but things were going to be different this time, as jeg would be teaming with Rowan, and would also be against Astrid; hvem jeg have had my own problems with since she did not understand why jeg did hvat jeg did. Why jeg sided with de Council. Jeg thought ahead to de match that jeg was going to have this week, and smiled to Xavier in almost a reassuring fashion…
“Ja. Jeg vil ensure det he still pays for interfering with Council business… jeg vil also avenge min own loss to him. Du gjør not have to worry about det.” Jeg said while turning my head to meet his gaze, as his eyes seemed to be peering at me; as if to see if jeg were being truthful… as if jeg were committed in making him pay… ja, jeg did really want to make Jayson Matthews pay, but to another extent, jeg knew that Jayson Matthews had earned his victory over me. There was no interference from de Council. Bob Pooler was completely fair in how he called de match. It was just de way det de match ended. There was something about Xavier’s gaze, though; as if he did not believe me… there was a look of disappointment, one that jeg had not seen on his face before because he accepted that vi were not going to win every single match, so long as the message was sent, was all det mattered.
“You had better. You did not only let yourself down at Lineage, Ulf, you let us down… you let The Council down. You let your family down,” Xavier patted his own chest to symbolize The Council, himself as the ringleader due to bringing us all together, “We. Are your family. And you let us down… Rowan became the Diamond Champion, we crushed our adversaries,” Cross said while clenching his fist but slowly unclenched it to place it on Ulf’s shoulder, “And you lost. How are you going to make this up to us? How are you going to prove that you should even be part of our Council?” Cross scoffed at Ulf, eyeing him as if he was trying to find his worth; the glare from Cross caused Ulf to look down, and he could not help but feel the shame that he had been fighting from feeling… Ulf scowled, whether to himself or to Cross for questioning whether he was worthy of standing among The Council or not.
“Do not mistake me, Ulf; I very much want you to stay within The Council, but these are the questions that everyone else is asking! You were the only one who let us down from a perfect night, Ulf… Rowan has been questioning it. Rowan has questioned why you are a member? Why she has been cursed to share the ring with you could not even fend for yourself? Go out there on Sacrifice, and prove to us… prove to her… why we should not question why you are still a part of us.”
“Well, it would look like congratulations are in order… Jayson Matthews, du did hvat jeg thought was truly impossible! Du defeated me in single combat. When jeg thought det jeg had you beaten; jeg had you down for de three. Jeg summoned de strength of Thor to knock du completely out cold! ...Du found de strength, de will, to summon hvatever strength du were able to muster to kick out of it. And when du could not even stand on your own two feet; when jeg was dragging you around and preparing to hit you with de move det nobody has been able to kick out of, de Blood Eagle, du managed to catch me off guard and score a pin fall victory.
Jeg applaud you.
But do you want to know hvat is more interesting about this concept that du ha defeated me? Quite simply: jeg. Do not. Care.”
Jeg shrugged my shoulders, and could not keep a smile from min own face while thinking about the look det may be on Jayson Matthews’ own face. It was not meant as an insult; Jayson Matthews still was more accomplished than jeg was, although jeg could not admit that… and it did not matter whether jeg did or not, because the facts spoke for themselves. But in my own mind; jeg knew that jeg was destined for better things.
“Simply, Jayson Matthews: du hold a championship det jeg never intended to go for… du hold a championship det was nothing more for me than a trophy to hold on my way to enter Heir to the Throne and become de youngest Imperial Champion in IWF history! Now, do not think that jeg do not still have my eyes set on you; after all, du are holding the number one seed in the Heir to the Throne tournament. Det means that du ha a target on your back det the rest of us vil be gunning for!
But as far as your championship goes?” jeg scoffed, “Keep it. Consider it a consolation prize. Why am jeg better than you? How am jeg better than you? As jeg ha told you before, Jayson, there is nothing-- absolutely nothing-- that jeg can take away from you. Du ha accomplished history! De only man to win the Invictus Championship for an unprecedented three times!
But think about it, Jayson… think about de times that du ha been given the opportunity to rise through the ranks. De Imperial Championship; de Man of Steel Championship… every time det du ha tried to flap your wings and fly away from the Invictus Championship; du failed!
Du stepped into de ring with Zasshu for the Man of Steel, and he sent you packing. He was de first man to step into the ring with me at a pay-per-view event, and jeg crushed him! Jeg showed de world that jeg was a serious force to be reckoned with! Det was the same night that de Council and jeg put de entire IWF roster on notice det vi. Were. Taking over. Vi. Are. Calling de shots. Vi. Vil. Not be buried. Det was de same night that vi took the fight to not one, nor two, nor three! But four! Four former Imperial Champions-- four bonafide legends within the IWF business! And de administration!
Det was de same night that vi crushed them. Det was de same night that vi all learned one truth: Cable Arcane, de man who sent you packing from the Imperial Championship, FEARED me.”
Jeg said, sitting forward in my seat and staring intently into the camera in front of me.
“CABLE ARCANE.
FEARS.
ULF HEDNIR.”
Jeg allowed the words to sink in, not concerning myself with the people det may have been listening.
“And not only does Cable Arcane fear me, but even Roberto Verona fears me. Roberto Verona knows det jeg am the best man det could be put into Heir to de Throne; he knows det jeg would be able to defeat their posterboy Andrew Jacobsen for de Imperial Championship. Det is the exact reason det he has kept me out of the ring for as long as he has. Det is why he is trying to screw me out of being put into Heir to de Throne! But do not think that jeg ha not been listening; jeg know the match that du have booked for two weeks from now… but whether jeg defeat my two teammates in det match or not, it does not matter; it simply means det one of them may be guaranteed entry, and jeg vil earn my way! From this point forward, Roberto, the only way that du are keeping me out of de Heir to de Throne is by keeping me from competing.
But let me not just say it… let me prove it… this week, jeg am getting a rematch against Jayson Matthews, and jeg am stepping into a ring with a woman who has been wanting to get her hands on me since she felt that jeg made the wrong move. Jeg ha already shared hvat jeg thought about Jayson Matthews-- jeg will go out to the ring on Sacrifice and jeg will dismantle him, but det is where vi vil go our separate ways. However, Astrid Hall has been wanting to get her hands on me for a long time! Ja, ja, jeg know; she cannot get into the ring with me… but jeg am certain that she will find a way to sneak in a few attacks, whether the officials see it or not, but she has her own things to worry about.
Rowan. My partner. My partner within de Council. De woman who shocked de world by walking out of Lineage as the new Diamonds Champion! If jeg were you, Astrid, det is where jeg would keep my focus… but perhaps… perhaps du vil come around and see det de Council, vi are not the bad guys. Vi are simply fighting for what is best for de IWF. Vi are not blind, du see… Jeg am a living example right now.
Roberto Verona is trying to bury me.
He is trying to stop me from entering Heir to de Throne.
Jeg am certain he will try to screw me out of winning it when I get entered into it!
And when jeg have gone through all the hoops det he has put in front of me, he will try to screw me out of winning the Imperial Championship that jeg vil ha earned!
Whether du see det this week or not, Astrid, it does not matter. Because du will see it. And then… du will be fighting with us… not… against us…
Skål.”
Xavier Cross has left Ulf Hednir’s own hotel room, and has a smirk on his face as he closes the door behind him; as soon as the door clicks shut, he turns to see the Diamonds Champion, Rowan MacDonnough, standing directly behind him. Her golden eyes seemingly seeing straight through him; with a mischievous chuckle, Xavier Cross speaks up to the fellow Council member, “Hello, Rowan. I was just checking on Ulf; ensuring that he was alright after that loss he endured,” he said and shook his head while giving off a sincere look of regret and pity for Ulf Hednir, “Poor guy.”
Rowan took another step closer to Xavier Cross, with her face almost expressionless. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she spoke, “You don’t fool me, trickster.”
The grin grew on Xavier’s face, “Then there’s no reason to keep this charade, at least not for you, Demon,” the voice spoke a little higher than Xavier Cross, the hint of sarcasm always evident on his tongue as the trickster known as Loki shifted himself to what the people could only assume was his true appearance with the dark, slicked back hair, and the grin that was full of charm and deceit; it was difficult to know what he truly looked like as he could shapeshift into anything, or anyone, “I am certain we do not have to go into the consequences if you expose my identity to my favored Ulf… I am certain that you, too, do not wish to have your identity exposed, Demon.”
Rowan snickered at Loki’s comment, both of them looking each other in the eyes as if to look for deception from the other, but Rowan replied back to The Trickster, “You do not have to worry, Trickster. Your secret is safe with me. Besides… I believe that you and I share a common goal,” she said, with her eyes lighting signifying that she may display a smile if her mask were not in the way as she eyed the door leading to Ulf’s room implying that both had a plan for Ulf Hednir.
Loki chuckled to Rowan, and tilted his head slightly before shrugging his shoulders, “Then it would appear that we are working together… but I must not waste time. If you see Jesus, do give him my best! Make sure he knows that the crucifixion was nothing personal, it was all in good fun!” says Loki, as he walks backward down the hallway, retreating away from Rowan and giving a short bow before turning away and continuing down the hallway. He walks by as the actual Xavier Cross is walking toward Ulf’s hotel room as well when he notices Rowan.
“Did you come to check on Ulf, too? Make sure he’s holding up okay.” asked the actual Xavier Cross.
Rowan just nods her head, but places her hand on the door as if to block Xavier Cross from it.
“You should just let me take care of it.”
Xavier Cross hesitated a moment, but shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head to Rowan. He walked away from the room, as Rowan lifted one of her knuckles to tap on the door a couple times.
Well howdy there pardner.