Post by Astrid Hall on May 3, 2017 5:06:47 GMT
BACKGROUND MUSIC
"Loyalty means a lot to me.
Hell, even the people who didn't know me down in developmental should know enough about me to make a pretty solid damn judgement on who I am, what I believe in. They know that to me, honor is more important than survival. That I pride myself on being a woman of my word, a woman of absolute integrity. A woman who won't back down, who will stand with courage no matter how stacked the odds are against me. That I will always stand for those who are being victimized, fighting for the innocent and putting my own safety on the line if it means protecting those who cannot protect themselves. That I will fight with the same integrity that I bind to my word, never cheating or using a coward's tactics, and always making sure that those I fight have a fair chance to defend themselves.
Loyalty means a lot to me. If I have sworn that I have your back, then I mean it. For life. I'll be there for you, stand for you, fight for you, and never betray you.
Shae O'Hara is one of those people. I do not call someone my Shield-Sister lightly, and she has earned that esteem. I will stand with her, fight for her, and defend her to the end - and that was true even before that bond was tempered in the fire of last night's tag team match against Rowan MacDonnough and... well, I can't really say it was against Charity Crowne, can I? Regardless of the odds, she had my back and I had hers. Fighting at her side was an honor and a pleasure, and if called upon to do so I would do it again in a heartbeat.
She is my friend. My Shield-Sister.
I'm saying this, Shae, so that you know that when I stand against you in the ring at OFN, when I beat you senseless, put you down and stand victorious over you - it's nothing personal."
The thrill of the battle was still surging like ambrosia through Astrid's veins as she stepped out into the woods. Her shield was on her back, her axe gripped tightly in her hand, armor still donned as she strode through the trees outside the festival. She had won the last melee of the day, and most of her fellows were back at the performers' camp having one last party before packing up the festival and either heading home or moving on. Many of the festies would travel around the country just like she did, taking their talents and wares to festivals all the country over. It built a community across the country where she felt at home and accepted for who she was at heart wholly, not just as Astrid Hall the professional wrestler, but Astrid Hall the Warrior. Astrid Hall the Champion. Astrid Hall the Shieldmaiden.
The Shieldmaiden...
She could hear them laughing and singing at the camp behind her, the sound of merriment echoing through the trees as she wandered in solitude through the rapidly darkening woodlands. On many nights like this one she would have been back with them, but instead she had felt compelled to stand alone and soak up the soul of the woodlands. For just this moment in the cool twilight, she could almost feel as though she had left the modern world behind her entirely, stepping back to an era that called to her heart, her blood.
The Shieldmaiden. She was so close. She could almost taste it, a mere two matches away. It called to her, like the song from across the horizon that called her ancestors to build their longboats and travel to new shores. The thrill of the thought of raising that belt, claiming that championship on the greatest stage of them all... it was as though every match she had ever been a part of had been a step along the road to that moment, and she was only two short steps away.
And the first step was her Shield-Sister, Shae O'Hara.
She had already told Emma not to stand with her in that match. She knew how much Shae meant to her manager, and could never ask her to choose favorites between the two of them. Besides, she had her own match that night to battle.
For the first time in a long while, she would stand alone against a single opponent. A Shield Sister. A Friend.
Astrid's attention was caught by movement in the bushes. She watched carefully as a man stepped into view - an older man in a long brown coat and a wide, ragged hat. He walked with a gnarled wooden staff and had a long beared, mostly grey but peppered with the occasional streak of black. He smiled at her through the twilight as he stepped forward.
"Didn't mean to frighten you," he said with a surprisingly deep voice. "Wasn't expecting one of you folks to come out this far... hey, you look a bit familiar. Do I know you?"
Astrid smiled at the man, knowing far better than to turn away a wanderer in the woods. "You might have seen me on the field of battle through the day," she replied, reaching for the large flask at her hip and offering it to the stranger. "Or perhaps you have seen me in the cities on television. My name is Astrid Hall. Share a drink with me?"
The man's eye sparkled as he stepped forward, his weathered face crinkling with warmth as he smiled. As he stepped forward Astrid saw his bangs falling over his right eye. He took the flask with a grateful nod and drank deep. "Astrid Hall..." he mused after finishing his draught. "Yes. As I recall you have a fight with a friend coming your way. You stood back to back but last night, and now you must fight one another. Must be hard to swallow."
Astrid sighs. "It is always difficult to take up arms against a trusted friend and ally," Astrid confessed. "I worry that it will damage the bond. While I hold no ill will against her for what will happen, I have lost friends on the field of battle before."
He shrugged. "Is she a warrior of honor?"
Astrid nodded at once. "To the core."
The stranger smiled and handed back the flask. "Then why do you fear?"
It was a question that she had been struggling with since winning the match. She stared at the man for a long time, wondering who he was and what had brought him here. She knew the legends of warriors finding guidance from the wanderer in the woods, the old man offering wisdom to those who held to the old ways. In times of need, guidance could be found from such unlikely figures.
"Because I see the validity and strength in her tale," she replied at last. "She deserves her revenge against the woman who wronged her. If Eternity still holds the Shieldmaiden at Night of the Immortals, then it would be a chance to avenge the arm that Eternity broke. While part of my wants her to have that chance, I can't pass up this opportunity."
"Then don't," he replied simply, turning around and taking a step back into the woods. "If she is as you say, then she will understand. If she is no woman of honor, then she may hold you giving her your best against you... but then she was no friend to begin with, and there is no reason to mourn. If she held back, how would you feel?"
She paused and considered for a moment before nodding, resolution seeping back into her veins. "I would be furious," she replied. "And I see in her a kindred spirit. She would be just as angered as I if I didn't give her everything I have. Honor and respect guide me to the same road."
She nodded one last time and turned back to the man, only to find that he had vanished into the darkness.
Astrid smiled as she took everything in, knowing with certainty the road ahead of her. "Then I won't hold back. No fear, no regrets. Thank you, stranger. May you find your way to whomever needs you next."
A crow cawed above her as she turned and made her way to return to the encampment, smiling with enthusiasm both for the imminent festivities and the coming battle.
"We're warriors, Shae. We both know what that means. I respect the hell out of you, and will gladly stand at your side at any turn. But when fate calls for us to stand against one another, you and I both know that I cannot - and will not - hold back. Not in the slightest. And I'm pretty damn sure that you won't even consider the idea yourself. It's one of the reasons I like you so damn much.
The fact is that you're between me and the title I've been waiting my entire life to earn. The Shieldmaiden Title. My life's goal personified in a single belt. Only two women stand between me and that dream, and you're one of them. No matter how much I like you outside the ring, Shield Sister, I'm going to stop at nothing to achieve that dream. I will give you everything, every inch of who I am, what I am made of, and pull from every ounce of the strength that courses through my veins.
I'm bringing it all. Putting everything on the table to get my shot at the Shieldmaiden Title at Night of the Immortals, and I hope you do the same. I want you at your best, I want you to bring the best game you've ever shown. I want to taste your strength, your heart, and your spirit - and I want you to make me earn my victory.
I want you to give me the fight of my life, because that's what I plan on giving you. As warriors, it is the greatest gift that we can give one another."
She takes a drinking horn and raises it in toast to the camera.
"May the best woman win, Shield Sister. I'll see you at OFN."
She polishes off the whole horn in a single draught before throwing it to the ground as the screen cuts to black.
"Loyalty means a lot to me.
Hell, even the people who didn't know me down in developmental should know enough about me to make a pretty solid damn judgement on who I am, what I believe in. They know that to me, honor is more important than survival. That I pride myself on being a woman of my word, a woman of absolute integrity. A woman who won't back down, who will stand with courage no matter how stacked the odds are against me. That I will always stand for those who are being victimized, fighting for the innocent and putting my own safety on the line if it means protecting those who cannot protect themselves. That I will fight with the same integrity that I bind to my word, never cheating or using a coward's tactics, and always making sure that those I fight have a fair chance to defend themselves.
Loyalty means a lot to me. If I have sworn that I have your back, then I mean it. For life. I'll be there for you, stand for you, fight for you, and never betray you.
Shae O'Hara is one of those people. I do not call someone my Shield-Sister lightly, and she has earned that esteem. I will stand with her, fight for her, and defend her to the end - and that was true even before that bond was tempered in the fire of last night's tag team match against Rowan MacDonnough and... well, I can't really say it was against Charity Crowne, can I? Regardless of the odds, she had my back and I had hers. Fighting at her side was an honor and a pleasure, and if called upon to do so I would do it again in a heartbeat.
She is my friend. My Shield-Sister.
I'm saying this, Shae, so that you know that when I stand against you in the ring at OFN, when I beat you senseless, put you down and stand victorious over you - it's nothing personal."
The thrill of the battle was still surging like ambrosia through Astrid's veins as she stepped out into the woods. Her shield was on her back, her axe gripped tightly in her hand, armor still donned as she strode through the trees outside the festival. She had won the last melee of the day, and most of her fellows were back at the performers' camp having one last party before packing up the festival and either heading home or moving on. Many of the festies would travel around the country just like she did, taking their talents and wares to festivals all the country over. It built a community across the country where she felt at home and accepted for who she was at heart wholly, not just as Astrid Hall the professional wrestler, but Astrid Hall the Warrior. Astrid Hall the Champion. Astrid Hall the Shieldmaiden.
The Shieldmaiden...
She could hear them laughing and singing at the camp behind her, the sound of merriment echoing through the trees as she wandered in solitude through the rapidly darkening woodlands. On many nights like this one she would have been back with them, but instead she had felt compelled to stand alone and soak up the soul of the woodlands. For just this moment in the cool twilight, she could almost feel as though she had left the modern world behind her entirely, stepping back to an era that called to her heart, her blood.
The Shieldmaiden. She was so close. She could almost taste it, a mere two matches away. It called to her, like the song from across the horizon that called her ancestors to build their longboats and travel to new shores. The thrill of the thought of raising that belt, claiming that championship on the greatest stage of them all... it was as though every match she had ever been a part of had been a step along the road to that moment, and she was only two short steps away.
And the first step was her Shield-Sister, Shae O'Hara.
She had already told Emma not to stand with her in that match. She knew how much Shae meant to her manager, and could never ask her to choose favorites between the two of them. Besides, she had her own match that night to battle.
For the first time in a long while, she would stand alone against a single opponent. A Shield Sister. A Friend.
Astrid's attention was caught by movement in the bushes. She watched carefully as a man stepped into view - an older man in a long brown coat and a wide, ragged hat. He walked with a gnarled wooden staff and had a long beared, mostly grey but peppered with the occasional streak of black. He smiled at her through the twilight as he stepped forward.
"Didn't mean to frighten you," he said with a surprisingly deep voice. "Wasn't expecting one of you folks to come out this far... hey, you look a bit familiar. Do I know you?"
Astrid smiled at the man, knowing far better than to turn away a wanderer in the woods. "You might have seen me on the field of battle through the day," she replied, reaching for the large flask at her hip and offering it to the stranger. "Or perhaps you have seen me in the cities on television. My name is Astrid Hall. Share a drink with me?"
The man's eye sparkled as he stepped forward, his weathered face crinkling with warmth as he smiled. As he stepped forward Astrid saw his bangs falling over his right eye. He took the flask with a grateful nod and drank deep. "Astrid Hall..." he mused after finishing his draught. "Yes. As I recall you have a fight with a friend coming your way. You stood back to back but last night, and now you must fight one another. Must be hard to swallow."
Astrid sighs. "It is always difficult to take up arms against a trusted friend and ally," Astrid confessed. "I worry that it will damage the bond. While I hold no ill will against her for what will happen, I have lost friends on the field of battle before."
He shrugged. "Is she a warrior of honor?"
Astrid nodded at once. "To the core."
The stranger smiled and handed back the flask. "Then why do you fear?"
It was a question that she had been struggling with since winning the match. She stared at the man for a long time, wondering who he was and what had brought him here. She knew the legends of warriors finding guidance from the wanderer in the woods, the old man offering wisdom to those who held to the old ways. In times of need, guidance could be found from such unlikely figures.
"Because I see the validity and strength in her tale," she replied at last. "She deserves her revenge against the woman who wronged her. If Eternity still holds the Shieldmaiden at Night of the Immortals, then it would be a chance to avenge the arm that Eternity broke. While part of my wants her to have that chance, I can't pass up this opportunity."
"Then don't," he replied simply, turning around and taking a step back into the woods. "If she is as you say, then she will understand. If she is no woman of honor, then she may hold you giving her your best against you... but then she was no friend to begin with, and there is no reason to mourn. If she held back, how would you feel?"
She paused and considered for a moment before nodding, resolution seeping back into her veins. "I would be furious," she replied. "And I see in her a kindred spirit. She would be just as angered as I if I didn't give her everything I have. Honor and respect guide me to the same road."
She nodded one last time and turned back to the man, only to find that he had vanished into the darkness.
Astrid smiled as she took everything in, knowing with certainty the road ahead of her. "Then I won't hold back. No fear, no regrets. Thank you, stranger. May you find your way to whomever needs you next."
A crow cawed above her as she turned and made her way to return to the encampment, smiling with enthusiasm both for the imminent festivities and the coming battle.
"We're warriors, Shae. We both know what that means. I respect the hell out of you, and will gladly stand at your side at any turn. But when fate calls for us to stand against one another, you and I both know that I cannot - and will not - hold back. Not in the slightest. And I'm pretty damn sure that you won't even consider the idea yourself. It's one of the reasons I like you so damn much.
The fact is that you're between me and the title I've been waiting my entire life to earn. The Shieldmaiden Title. My life's goal personified in a single belt. Only two women stand between me and that dream, and you're one of them. No matter how much I like you outside the ring, Shield Sister, I'm going to stop at nothing to achieve that dream. I will give you everything, every inch of who I am, what I am made of, and pull from every ounce of the strength that courses through my veins.
I'm bringing it all. Putting everything on the table to get my shot at the Shieldmaiden Title at Night of the Immortals, and I hope you do the same. I want you at your best, I want you to bring the best game you've ever shown. I want to taste your strength, your heart, and your spirit - and I want you to make me earn my victory.
I want you to give me the fight of my life, because that's what I plan on giving you. As warriors, it is the greatest gift that we can give one another."
She takes a drinking horn and raises it in toast to the camera.
"May the best woman win, Shield Sister. I'll see you at OFN."
She polishes off the whole horn in a single draught before throwing it to the ground as the screen cuts to black.
Well howdy there pardner.