FF: The Beautiful and the Condemned (Completed)

Rudra stood motionless as he watched the flames devour his home. Being only ten years of age, he didn't understand what was happening. One minute he was fast asleep in his room, and the next he was being thrown over a strange man's shoulder and carried out of the enflamed, crumbling haveli. Rudra was placed on the ground, and as he looked around for his parents, he found that they were nowhere to be seen. His dread-filled eyes became fixed on the house. His first thought was to cry out for his parents, to go back inside and find them, try to save them. Rudra stood up, his chest heaving, as he began calling for them, yelling at the dozens of men around him to go inside and get them.

However, no one moved. The men didn't even acknowledge Rudra. They stared at the fire, the glow revealing their emotionless faces. Frantic, Rudra took a few steps forward, determined to go back inside. He was stopped by a firm hand grabbing his shoulder. He stopped and looked up at the man holding him back. Even in the darkness, the light of the flames brightened the appearance of the familiar face. The expensive purple kurta, the gold rings on his fingers, the full mustache and almost black eyes. They were all the characteristics of Thakur Param Singh Tejawat.

Tejawat looked into the desperate eyes of the child looking up at him questioningly. Rudra was so lost, so confused. He had seen the thakur at his home once or twice before, due to business with his father. There appeared to be something off about him, but he never questioned it. His parents praised the generosity of Tejawat, causing him never to ponder his doubts further. Now, Rudra didn't know what was happening. He was searching for answers in the thakur's silence. The saddened expression on Tejawat's face said it all, but he spoke to give the young boy the confirmation he needed.

"There's nothing more we can do," he stated. "Your parents...they're gone."

Instead of breaking down, Rudra asked, "Why was I able to get out?"

"We saw your home on fire and came to save you all. However, your parent's room and bodies were already completed reduced to ashes. We managed to break your door down and get you out."

Rudra was still unable to fathom what was happening. He was now an orphan. His parents died; they were burned alive. Could it really be possible that he had lost everything? How was he not crying on his knees? How was he still standing? Rudra didn't know why he was still put together. Maybe it was because he learned that men had to remain strong even in the worst times. So Rudra stood silently next to Tejawat, trying to catch his breath as he stared at the Ranawat Haveli. The black smoke protruded from the roof of the house. The glass windows had shattered under pressure, and now the shards lay scattered around on the ground turning into a pile of black ash. Finally, the haveli's second floor collapsed as the first floor was completely desecrated. The loud crash of the fall made many people step back, except Rudra. He stood still, and hadn't even flinched. All that was left for the flames to consume were the remnants of the second floor, which was now becoming nothing more than black ash. This image was now slowly being charred into Rudra's memory.

Thakur Tejawat looked from the haveli to Rudra, ignoring the other citizens of Birpur that were now crowding and witnessing the burning Ranawat Haveli. His hand remained on the boy's shoulder because he knew that if he let go, the child would run inside to find the remains of his parents. Not a single tear had shed from Rudra's eyes. Instead, he looked...emotionless. It was as if the feelings he grew up mastering had vanished upon becoming an orphan. There was something in Rudra, something that remained unearthed. This boy...had potential. Tejawat could see it, and he was going to tap into it.

Without looking up at the thakur, Rudra asked, "What will happen to me now?"

Tejawat knelt down to face Rudra at eye level and said, "I will take care of you. After all, I saved your life. But I have one condition."

"What?"

"Anything I ask from you, any order I give you, you must fulfill completely. No complaints. No questions asked. In short, do as you're told. Is that understood?"

Rudra finally met Tejawat's gaze. This man in front of him stood as a symbol of hope. Maybe he would be saved from living the life of an orphan. But the question was: could the thakur be trusted? Rudra's initial doubts began reentering his currents thoughts, and yet again, he shut them down. It was either that, or struggle for the rest of his life trying to survive, which would mostly likely result in one thing: death. He didn't have any other choice but to trust Tejawat.

Rudra nodded and answered, "Yes thakur-sa. Understood."

Tejawat patted the boy's head and took him to his parked car. They got inside and drove away from the traumatic scene. And just like that, the unbreakable contract was made. The snake tempted the innocent boy towards him, and then stroke. The now-bitten Rudra became destined to be filled with the poison of the snake known as Param Singh Tejawat.

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