Tired. Tired and hurting. Those were the words that throbbed in Seth Rollins' mind in tempo with the throbbing in his neck.
'Damn Lashley. You're on my shit list for sure. No need to work that stiff.' For a few moments, Seth indulged himself with planning more than a few stiff Curbstomps on Bobby Lashley. And maybe a Ripcord Knee on Lio Rush as well.
He saw a disgruntled Dolph Ziggler and glowering Drew McIntire arguing with Baron Corbin who looked equally furious. He could understand Ziggler's anger. When Miz got hurt in the opening minutes of their match for the World Cup, Ziggler no doubt figured he would be crowned "Best In The World" without even having to actually beat The Miz. Until Shane McMahon stepped forward, of course. 'Well, Corbin can argue that one with Shane.'
He'd figured Kurt was keeping out of it until he saw Kurt quietly talking with Vince McMahon. With Triple H scheduled for surgery as soon as they returned to the U.S., Stephanie's attention might be more on her hospitalized husband than on RAW. Corbin might find himself being replaced sooner than expected.
The private VIP lounge the WWE had been assigned at the airport in Riyadh was more than a little comfortable. The lighting levels had been reduced in deference to the need for some people to catch a quick nap in the wee hours of the morning before boarding a plane for the long trip home. There were several secluded corners with very comfortable chairs that allowed for some privacy.
'Probably more than one shady deal's gone down in these corners,' Seth had thought even as he commandeered one of them for himself. At least he didn't have to worry about Dean Ambrose confronting him at this point. He knew Dean would be glued to Renee's side for the trip home.
It was an honor and a breakthrough for Renee Young to be included in the commentary team for Crown Jewel considering the restrictions on women in Saudi Arabia. The commentary team had been at Renee's side the entire time with Dean close by whenever possible.
Seth hadn't even known Dean was making the trip until he saw the picture of Dean arriving at the airport in Riyadh along with other WWE performers. Checking with Kurt Angle, he found out that Dean was officially there to perform promotional work in the place of the ill Roman Reigns. Unofficially, he would also be Renee Young's escort. So, Seth had breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed, knowing Dean wouldn't be coming after him until after Crown Jewel.
Seth suddenly realized someone was sitting next to him and had been sitting there for a while. He slowly turned his head to the left and stared at the one man who commanded respect from others whether or not they intended to give it.
"Rollins. You got my message."
Seth nodded. "I did, Undertaker." For a few moments, Seth tried to remember the exhilaration he and the rest of The Shield had felt when they Triple Powerbombed the Phenom through an announce table. But he couldn't.
The Undertaker nodded and seemed to mold his huge body into the comfortable chair without moving a single muscle. "Ever think about Karma?"
Seth slowly nodded. "Yeah. And about paying for sins that I thought had been forgiven."
The Undertaker chuckled. "Forgiveness isn't as easy as accepting an apology. Now…treason…that's easy."
"Not all the time," Seth automatically defended himself.
The Undertaker's eyes pinned Seth to his chair. "Then tell me. Which was easier? Deciding to commit treason against your brothers? Or deciding how to do it?"
Seth stared at the older wrestler for nearly a minute then sighed. "Deciding to do it," he finally admitted.
The Undertaker's eyes roamed the roomy lounge, automatically noticing who was talking with who. "The very second we were given free will is the very second treason became easy. It's harder to come up with the plan to successfully commit it." His eyes flickered back to Seth. "It's even harder to come up with the reasons to justify it."
Seth managed not to squirm, suddenly feeling like a third grader sitting in front of the principal. His brown eyes widened when The Undertaker leaned closer to him and lowered his voice.
"And you think forgiveness is as simple as saying 'I'm sorry' and 'I regret it'?" he hissed.
"Dean never really forgave me," Seth muttered in acknowledgement.
The Undertaker shrugged and settled back into his chair. "I wouldn't know. Haven't spoken to the man."
"Then…" Seth shook his head in confusion.
"All throughout history, and probably before history was ever written, brothers have fought," The Undertaker mused. "Fought over power. Over women. Over land. Over gold. Over anything and everything under the sun." He glanced at Seth. "I speak from experience on that."
"But you and Kane forgave each other," Seth pointed out.
"And still you think that forgiveness was easy? Forgiveness is probably the hardest thing in the world to do. To forgive someone for treason means you not only have to forgive their action but forgive everything that happens afterwards." The Undertaker shook his head. "The difference is Kane and I never fought for that forgiveness in front of a worldwide audience like you and your brothers."
"He's changed…Ambrose, I mean," Seth sighed. "I…"
"Of course, he's changed," The Undertaker impatiently interrupted. "No one fights Death Himself tooth and nail without being scarred up in the process. And sometimes those scars aren't visible. And sometimes, even if you really know yourself…deep inside…sometimes those scars aren't known until something…or someone rips them open."
'You've no idea just how much he's changed.' Seth sat lost in thought until The Undertaker chuckled under his breath. Seth looked at the other man in surprise.
"Watching you and Ambrose is like watching a bad re-run on television," The Undertaker said. "You committed treason against your brothers, and Ambrose vows vengeance. Ambrose commits treason against you, and you vow vengeance." He tapped a forefinger once on Seth's wrist. "Tell me. What do you think was Ambrose's reason for swearing vengeance on you?"
"Because I put a chair in his back more than a couple of times? Broke up The Shield? Defected to The Authority?" Seth stared at the man next to him in confusion.
The Undertaker shrugged. "All easily understood and acceptable reasons," he admitted. "But how about you broke up a brotherhood? A family, if you will? You broke his trust not only in you but his confidence in himself?" Again, the Undertaker chuckled. "How could he have confidence in any decision he would make going forward if he made such a mistake in his decision to trust you?"
Seth's mouth opened and closed twice before he spoke. "I…I said I…"
"Don't!" That one word was hissed in his face as the Undertaker's angry face loomed closer to his. "Don't apologize for it! Don't justify it! Own it! Own that decision! Own what happened afterwards! All of it!" He leaned back. "Including nearly maiming or killing your brother when you stomped his head through those cinderblocks."
Seth gasped as the memory of Dean lying motionless amidst those cinderblocks took his breath away.
"I wonder if Ambrose ever saw that look of remorse and…fear on your face when you were looking down at him?"
Seth shuddered at the soft words. He finally shrugged.
"So now you've sworn vengeance on Ambrose for his treason," The Undertaker mused. "The tables are turned. Now you're going after him. Assuming you're going to dance with the Devil and be able to strike first."
"What did you mean by that?" Seth asked.
The Undertaker shrugged. "Vengeance is like treason. It's easy to commit. And damned near impossible to stop." He stared at Seth. "Is that your goal? To hurt Ambrose as much as he hurt you? That's what you want?" The Undertaker looked up to see Kane approaching. "Two things, Rollins." When he saw he had Seth's attention, he held up one finger.
"First, Reigns still holds both you and Ambrose as his brothers, so he's not cutting either of you loose. He'll want to know about each of you." He caught Seth's eyes with his own and lowered his voice to a dangerous level. "But do not run whining to Reigns about any of this. This is not the fight he needs to be fighting. Fight your own damned war and don't drag him into it. Are we clear on this, Mr. Architect?"
Seth swallowed and nodded. "I never intended to bring Roman into it. And I'm pretty sure Dean won't either."
The Undertaker just grunted in response and held up a second finger. "Second, think about what you really want. Vengeance, destruction, and violence brought down on Ambrose's head? Or do you want something more? Something better?" He slowly got to his feet and stared down at Seth. "Dancing with the Devil will help you get one option but not both. So be very sure what it is that you really want. You probably won't get a second chance."
Seth nodded as Kane joined them.
"Boarding in about fifteen minutes," Kane told his brother.
The Undertaker nodded and turned to leave.
"Thank you," Seth suddenly said. He looked up as The Undertaker looked back at him. "For…explaining."
The Phenom silently studied Seth for a few seconds then nodded in response. As he walked away, Seth looked up at Kane…no longer the Big Red Monster but looking more like Corporate Kane.
"You guys had a good match," Seth complimented.
"As good as it could have been. Even with Triple H getting hurt," Kane nodded. "By the way, good luck at Survivor Series." He grinned at Seth's expression as he sat in the chair vacated by The Undertaker. "No, I don't know anything planned for Survivor Series. But I know it has special meaning for The Shield."
"As does TLC," Seth slowly nodded. He sighed. "Ever wish things could just…not have happened?"
"Of course," Kane agreed. "I believe that's called wishful thinking."
Seth found himself chuckling in agreement.
"Speaking as one younger brother to another, sometimes older brothers can be nothing more than the biggest pain in our asses," Kane quietly spoke. He glanced at Seth who was ruefully nodding. "But sometimes they're our anchor."
"A shelter in the storm," Seth softly added.
"And sometimes we have to be their shelter in the storm." Kane stood and stretched. "I've been to war against my brother more than once, Seth. You've got my number if you ever need to talk."
Seth stared in astonishment as Kane walked away. Then he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.
'Dancing with the Devil will help you get one option but not both.'
'You've got my number if you ever need to talk.'
Two brothers who had been to war against each other more than once yet somehow found forgiveness more than once. The Brothers of Destruction had found a way to do it. The Brothers of the Shield could do the same.
Seth Rollins was determined to do it even if vengeance was the only language they spoke at the moment.