Shackles of Desire - Chapter 2

Even after the police check post coming up, the tussles did not relent. Every once in a while something or the other would happen and somebody from either side would get injured. 

Things got so out of hand that Arjanveer took the decision of hiring henchmen and guards of his own. That’s the time when Yogendrapal and his son Chandrapal Singh came to work for them. And within months Yogendrapal not only became the chief of the guards and henchmen but also the most trusted one for Arjanveer.

And when he passed away at the age of 55, Chandrapal who was just a boy of 21 took his place, and he was way better than his father in every way, be it fighting or loyalty.

But even he wasn’t able to stop that night from happening.

Shekher tried to move away from the window but couldn’t. All he could think about was his uncle Arjanveer’s last words.

“Don’t ever let anything happen to this haveli.”

As his brother Vikramveer had grabbed his father’s hand and affirmed his promise, somehow Shekher had had the intuition, darker times were ahead.

Everything was going okay if you call the lull before the storm okay when suddenly they came to know that Thakur Baldev Raijdas had again filed a case against them for unauthorised possession of the property.

Vikramveer was the one who faced him in court and the case was dismissed when the original deed was presented.

Shekher still remembered the look on Thakur Baldev’s face when he stared angrily at Vikramveer. The deadly warning was clearly evident. His sons Virendra and Ratan were about to pounce on them outside the court when Chandrapal along with his men stopped them.

Slowly it was becoming evident that they wouldn’t let this matter go. And Vikramveer also wasn’t the one to back out so easily.

And to top it all, the deed went missing after some days and they somehow kept it a secret till the day everything was destroyed.

Suddenly Shekher felt a soothing hand on his shoulder and he turned. He saw Girija looking at him with mournful eyes.

“If only Bhaisa had listened to me and Pravin, none of this would have happened.”

“He couldn’t have known that a simple property feud would take such a bad turn,” Girija said taking his hand in hers.

“It’s not yet finished and that’s what scares me.”

*****************

Viman watched as the guards and Ram settled Rudra on the bed. Yes, they were back in Delhi but had not gone home. Instead, they had come right away to Genus. According to Ram, that’s what Rudra had ordered him to do. Kabir had wanted to stay but Viman had sent him back home as his wounds were still quite raw.

As Ram and Manna took off Rudra’s shoes and shirt, Viman’s gaze fell on the bandaged portion of his back and the other multiple scars on his body.

Regrets, guilt and anger flooded inside him.

Regret, of not being there for his brother when he needed him the most.

Guilt, of not been able to save him that night.

And anger on those people who destroyed his brother’s life.

He saw Ram closing the curtains and then unchaining Scar. As she jumped on the bed and placed her head on Rudra’s chest, he sighed.

When will all of this end?

When will Rudra become normal?

Not able to take it anymore, Viman turned and stepped out on the balcony.

As he closed his eyes suddenly he was back in Kesarigarh Basnag playing and enjoying his holidays with his brothers and friend Amar. He still remembered the uproar when the first time they had almost crossed the police check post between the two villages. They had been dragged back home by their henchmen and guards. That was the first when his Vikramveer Kakasa had beaten the hell out of Rudra aka Shanker aka Veera.

At night when they were preparing to go off to sleep, he had seen his brother sitting at the window staring outside. When he asked the reason, his counter question had stunned him.

“Who was that girl?”

Yes, when they had almost crossed the police check post they had seen some children playing nearby. But there had been in a girl in them who had been quite different from all other. And believe it or not, she had been the reason why his brother had vouched to cross the line.

If only he hadn’t seen that girl, nothing of this would have happened.

Because that girl had been none other than Ishani.

After that day they had gone back to school but his brother hadn’t forgotten her even for a single second. He still remembered how he had struck off days on the calendar to count them till their next vacation.

They had only been 10 at that time and he had never understood his brother’s obsession.

By the time vacation had come, he had seen his brother’s impatience. The day his uncle, Vikramveer was supposed to come to take them home, his brother had got up quite early in the morning. He had done everything even before his father had reached.

And the moment he had set foot in the village, he had cooked up an excuse and escaped from home, and gone to police check post. But unfortunately, there had been no sign of her that day.

Viman still remembered how his brother had waited patiently till evening. The dejection on his face when he had returned home had been so evident that even their parents had also asked them about it but they had said nothing.

A smile spread on Viman’s lips as he remembered the first time the two had met.

As usual, they had been playing near the police check post when their ball had hit a small puppy. They were about to rush towards the puppy when a girl had coming running towards tears streaming down her cheeks.

Seeing her Rudra had actually stopped in the middle of the road and then suddenly had sprung into action. Just as the girl had sat down near the puppy, his brother had picked it up and brushed off the dust.

And then she had spoken transfixing his brother totally.

“You hurt my dog. It’s dead.”

He had seen the look on Rudra’s face transforming from being all hopeful to ten-fold dejection. The state of despair was so gripping that he saw his brother raising his hand towards the girl and then lowering it down.

That day the desperation in his brother’s demeanour had baffled him.

Being young he hadn’t understood it.

However, now he did.

And now it was too late.

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