Thank u everyone for your comments, means alot here's the next part
Chapter 3:
Rudra continued spinning the transparent ball on his desk as Aman reported all that happened at Birpur. Aman had taken Bindi to Tejawat's Haveli and freed her before offering Paro's freedom at which point Tejawat had cunningly sent Bindi out of earshot and pretended to agree to the deal. Once alone he had refused to sign the paper Aman handed him, it was a confession to weapon smuggling.
Rudra had expected as much from Tejawat, he just wanted to confirm how correct his measure of Tejawat's character was.
"Sir, what do we do now? Release the girl or do you actually believe she's a criminal?" Aman asked. Though he himself had assumed Paro and Bindi as criminals and arrested them, he no longer believed they were involved. His short trip to Birpur gave him insight into how naive and blinded the villagers were by their loyalty toward their Raja Thakur.
"The girl is involved in all this Aman, I am sure of it...now it's time to put the second part of the plan into action, it's time the people of Birpur actually open their eyes and think for themselves," Rudra said getting up and walking over to the two sided mirror. Parvati was pacing around chanting Bholenath's name, something she'd been doing for the last forty minutes.
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Rudra stormed into the interrogation room, startling Paro. He thrust the red lehenga in Paro's hand ordering her to change into it. Paro looked up at Rudra in surprise.
"It's your wedding, get dressed, I'm taking you back to Birpur," he responded which shocked Paro further. What was this conniving man up to, she wondered holding his gaze. The fierceness of his gaze made her want to look away, only she couldn't. The pain, loneliness, anger she saw there made her burn with curiosity. She connected it all to that nightmare he had the night he had slept in her bed and wondered what it could be that he bottled up so tightly inside him. She glanced down at the heavy, red lehenga he was holding down against her hand. There it was his Rudraksh, the thing that made her want to trust him or atleast the fact Bholenath wouldn't let her be harmed. With that thought and the suffocation she felt in this stuffy room she obliged and went to get changed in the next room he'd pointed out.
Rudra was pulled out of his reverie by the bright spots of light reflections which dazzled him. He looked up squinting slightly, his heart skipped a beat and then began to race as his eyes remained fixed on her approaching figure. She looked beautiful but not the same sort as other women, there was something so pure and celestial about this girl which set her apart from others. Reflection of sunlight pouring in from the open door and windows danced off the mirror work on her lehenga. Rudra wondered to himself whether he would have believed her innocence had she not be beautiful or had he not been indebted to her and the fact both of these facts were now irreversible bought in a fresh wave of fury he felt towards the petite girl. Roughly grasping her hand and dragging her out to the BSD jeep, he felt her tremble. Paro was terrified at his violent behaviour, what was wrong with him. On the one hand he was being nice (as possible for a BSD officer) and taking her back to her village yet on the other hand he was hurting her like this. She cried out in pain as her hand was being crushed in his, while she was made to almost run along to keep up with his pace.
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Rudra saw the smallest of smiles flick across Parvati's face as they entered Birpur, the entire village had been decorated for the impending arrival of the baraat from across the border. Rudra snorted internally, oh this girl actually thought she was getting married. Was she that stupid or was she more cunning than he imagined?
Rudra bought the jeep to an abrupt and messy stop as the wheels squealed in protest, the noise making Paro cringe. It fulfilled it's purpose, all the villagers in the chowk looked up with their undivided attention. Rudra pulled Paro out of the jeep and strutted round the jeep and into the middle, he flung Paro from behind to infront of him almost throwing her off balance and onto the floor.
"Tejawat you scoundrel come out!" barked Rudra, looking for Tejawat to emerge from behind the villagers.
"What's the rush banna," Tejawat smirked appearing.
"Here is the bride of this year's annual scam marriage," Rudra snarled,"but she won't be sitting in the mandap unless you confess to your crimes,"
Tejawat observed Rudra and Paro, what he said next, rooted Paro to the spot in horror.
"This girl isn't even from this village so how can she be the bride of the wedding that takes place tomorrow," Tejawat was putting on an award-worthy acting performance, thought Rudra, his patience reaching its limit, "Janvi baisa is the bride to be tomorrow not this girl...what's happening to the BSD these days, wasting their time on proving a noble Thakur like me as a weapon smuggler while disguising the misdeeds of your own men"
"TEJAWAT" Rudra roared pulling out his gun and targeting Tejawat. Eight guns were pointed at Rudra the very next moment as Tejawat's men took out their guns. Under any other circumstances Paro would have paused to admire Rudra's bravery for he didn't even look slightly bothered, but right now she had to find Mamisa and Bindi.
Her eyes scanned the crowd until they spotted Mamisa. Mamisa looked away as Paro approached her.
"Mamisa!" Paro hugged her in relief but Mamisa stiffened and showed no sign of recognition. If Paro was horrified at Tejawat not identifying her, it was nothing compared to the feeling she felt as Mamisa pushed her away.
"Ye a..aap kya kar rahe ho baisa...mein n...na apko jaanu hoon" she stuttered still not meeting Paro's gaze. What on earth was going on, Paro tried to fathom, why was everyone refusing to acknowledge she was Paro from Birpur.
"There you go Major Saab, no one in this village knows this girl...now kindly stop your drama or there will be bloodshed," Tejawat tried to intimidate Rudra into leaving.
"Sir we have taken our positions" Aman's voice came from the walkie talkie on Rudra's belt. Tejawat's eyes widened as he looked around to see BSD men encircle the entire chowk, his men were outnumber 1 to 4. Tejawat instructed his people to lower the guns.
Rudra put down his gun and spoke to the congregation of people.
"When will you people begin to think, begin to see this man is a criminal! A traitor to his Motherland! 18 YEARS, 18 BARAATS, 18 GIRLS!" He roared in the open air,"has one of them ever come back to visit for Holi, Diwali, Teej, death, marriage, anything? Forget visiting, has one of them ever even called to say she's happy? No! Because no one knows what happens to those girls when they cross over the border after this scam wedding" Rudra's thunderous voice echoed around. Panic settled in Tejawat's stomach but he composed his face, this Major Rudra Pratap Ranawat was tarnishing all the hardwork he had put to win the loyalty of these very stupid villagers for years.
"Wake up people! The BSD is not your enemy, this scoundrel Tejawat is!" Rudra yelled intensely.
"Aah this is what the BSD is doing now...turning my own people against me to win against my practises of keeping healthy relationships with neighbouring countries...but by the grace of Maa Trishula the loyalty of these villagers is not that weak...Jai Jagdambe Maa Trishula!"
"JAI JAGDAMBE MAA TRISULA!" The villagers echoed in unison, indicating clearly that they were not turning on their Raja Thakur. Rudra was furious at how exceptionally blind these villagers were but he had to go back and get solid proof now to make them see Tejawat as a criminal. If only this stupid girl confessed to being involved with weapon smuggling with Tejawat he could arrest Tejawat right here right now, but all she was doing was sobbing infront of an elderly lady.
"Maamisa please, I don't want to go!" She cried out as Rudra roughly clutched her wrist and pulled her aggressively, "Maamisa!" Paro continued staring at her Mami who winced at the pain Paro was in. Through her tears Paro saw her Mami crying, a look of helplessness in her eyes. As Rudra shoved Paro in the back of the jeep, her brain worked furiously to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Thakursa says BSD is plotting against him which made sense, BSD officers were monsters. Then there was the money that was in the bag with her lehnga which Kesari Ramji never mentioned. Thakursa must have asked the villagers to not acknowledge her, if they recognised her Rudra would have arrested them until they falsely testified against Tejawat. But then there was also the words Rudra used back there which rang in her head...18 years, 18 baraats and 18 girls...why had none of them come back or contacted their families...even her Nandu jija had never so much as called or sent a letter.
Paro put her head in her hands and cried silently, what was right and what was wrong she didn't know anymore but somethings were changing rapidly, life that existed in the confines of her small, simple village was about to change. She just hoped her Bholenath would guide her on the right path.
"See what he did there...he turned the whole village against you, including your own Mamisa, look...Parvati," Rudra tried convincing her as he drove her through the never ending Rajasthani desert, "just admit why you had all that money in your bag and I will set you free,"
"He didn't have a choice," Paro mumbled, she mustered all her courage and retorted,"if he identified me you'd force him into falsely accepting crimes he hasn't committed...Thakursa is not a criminal, he nurtured the entire village, he has looked after all the villagers like a father, why would he send girls away in a scam marriage? Why would he turn against his Motherland?!" She questioned Rudra, "you don't have any proof so you can't accuse people just like that"
The jeep wheels squeaked to an instantaneous stop outside the BSD headquarters. Tugging Paro out Rudra pinned her against the side of the jeep.
"You want proof, I will give you proof!" He said heatedly holding her gaze in an intense eyelock. He was trying to decipher what she was really up to and she just continued to stare at the rubix of a man who shadowed her with ease.
Precap: Paro saw Kesari Ram cowering in the interrogation room. Rudra let her hear his confession from this side of the mirror as he spluttered Tejawat's truth.
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