My Hero.
It has been ten days since their last visit to the Barman Villa. Aswini Dev Barman has always been the obedient younger brother to Akhil Dev Barman. While Aswini was good and comfortable with his academic skills, Akhil chose the daring, challenging route. He preferred short cuts and made money way more and before Aswini. That's when the dynamics changed. Akhil kept moving upwards and Aswini settled at a point. He has always been a man too calm and collected to compete. They became distant but kept in touch nonetheless. Aswini never wanted to become an obstruction in the way of his brother's success and Akhil was too focused in building his career to spare any thought about his younger brother Aswini.
Time went by and both of them got too involved in their own family. Akhil and his wife gave birth to the twins, Pratap Dev Barman and Aditya Dev Barman. His wife passed away while giving birth to the twins. With that Akhil lost the last straw of emotion that was left within him. He kept Pratap with him but sent Aditya to the Barman Villa with his sister Savitri. Both Pratap and Aditya grew up differently, with different reasons to dislike each other.
On the other hand, Aswini and Abha gave birth to Aniruddha and Irabati. The Barman Villa was set at the highest part of the mountain, not too far from where Aswini lived with his family. Even then, instances of visiting each other without some important matters at hand, were extremely rare. The only other exceptions were the Shiv temple that was set within the Villa premises and the twins' birthday. The grandeur of the Puja ceremony or the birthday celebration was huge. The entire village used to be invited, resultantly Aswini and his family received invitations every year. They had to visit that two times no matter what. But as they grew older and Aniruddha invested himself into his studies and the wellbeing of the villagers around, they started skipping the ceremonies as well. Sometimes they visited, sometimes they couldn't. Aniruddha was in better terms with Aditya, his cousin brother but he rarely met Pratap because he was the one who handled his father's business and stayed in the capital with Akhil. He hardly visited the Villa.
Just like every other year Purohit ji came with his son Ashok to invite them but the only difference was that he brought his daughter Ambika with him this time. Aswini always liked Ambika. The girl was extremely kindhearted. They stayed in the Villa because Akhil had immense belief on Purohit ji, he wouldn't allow anyone else to take care of the Temple. So they were given the privilege to stay inside the Villa and with time Ambika and Ashok became a part of the family. What Aniruddha didn't expect though, was Purohit ji to consider marrying off her daughter to him. He was enraged at his father for ever considering that, knowing very well that every cell in his body belonged to that one woman he can turn the world upside down for.
He didn't go to the celebration this year out of fury and his father didn't force him after understanding the mistake he very knowingly committed. But none of them expected or wished to confront what took place in the Barman Villa.
Aniruddha was deeply focused in his fighting practice when Tashi came running, informing him about the horrifying incident that took place in the lives of his cousin brothers.
He ran the moment he heard Tashi uttering "Your brothers are...." He couldn't let him finish, he was too scared to hear the rest but he broke into pieces the moment he reached the Villa. The decorations were still fresh but the house wasn't cheerful, it was filled with cries, earth shattering cries. One particular voice drew his attention and his eyes fell on Ashok.
Nobody needed to ask the reasons behind the deaths of three young, burning souls, because that's what the society is for. You just have to stand there as still as a statue to hear them gossip about how a girl named Ambika lured two men with her beauty and eventually led to this mess. But not everything you hear is true after all. So when Ashok screamed back like a manic to some of those fake well wishers the truth became as clear as crystal.
"My sister was way more pure than all of you combined, so shut your dirty mouths and leave this instant, before I kill all of you with my bare hands."
Ashok seemed to have been a direct witness of the tragedy. He saw all three of them attempting suicide and couldn't do anything to stop them. Apparently, both the cousins of Aniruddha were in love with Ambika, the daughter of Purohit ji and the loved little sister of Ashok. For some inevitable reasons the feelings for her in both Aditya and Pratap escalated into tremendous jealousy which in turn led to this.
While standing amongst the ruin of what once used to be a happy family was the biggest trauma one could go through. He kept his eyes closed for as long as he could remember. The pain, the sorrow wasn't subsiding. When his eyes fell on the sky a drop of tear escaped the strong hold of his eyes. As he uttered,
"Why?"
He learnt that Savitri aunty collapsed the moment she heard about the incident and was being taken care of, he saw Purohit ji sitting infront of the Shiv linga, looking like another statue, and then he saw Ashok, the man who just lost both his sister and his best friend on the same day. He was running around and giving orders to people to search for both his sister and Aditya, with the hope that they might have survived the fall, knowing very well that anyone who would jump into that waterfall will never see the daylight. He stood there and looked at the lifeless body of Pratap, his other brother who looked just like Aditya. His heart clenched looking at the sprinkles of blood everywhere and a line of blood trailing down his mouth.
He was poisoned.
The fact that both of his brothers died so pathetically was turning his stomach upside down. Aniruddha vomited but couldn't leave. They were his brothers, that girl might not be someone close to him but she was innocent and he saw it himself.
He stayed beside Ashok, the man who reflected sincerity and true love towards his favourite brother, the man who loved his sister so much that the pain and guilt was killing him with every passing second. He stayed because that's all he could do, because there was nothing left to do anyway.
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Ten days have passed since that awful incident. No, Ambika and Aditya remained hidden somewhere within the nature. No one could find them. Aniruddha kept spending sleepless nights, his mental health was deteriorating with every passing hour, so he decided to focus his entire attention on the matter at hand. The Mahipal from the capital is coming today. They have kept their men ready for an open confrontation, they want answers and solutions to the numerous problems they face everyday under the rule of their Maharaja. They have been preparing for ages to revolt against him, only if their informer didn't inform them on time about the fact that there is a bigger threat. The Mahipal, the source of their Maharaja's evilness, the man who controls the wires connected to their Maharaja. If they want the tortures to end they need to uproot the tree, cutting the stem won't help. That's where they have been focused on from the very morning. The grief within him keeps impacting his focus but he has trained himself enough to absorb as much pain as possible. He has committed to give these people the peace, the basic rights they deserve, he can't be controlled by his emotions on a day like this.
The second troop led by him was ready to leave when one of the first troop members came running.
"Dada, the Mahipal is not there in the car. It's being driven by an Indian driver, while the passenger seat is occupied by a young man around our age, supposedly the son of the Mahipal." The man says.
"There was only one car?" Aniruddha asks skeptically.
"Yes dada." The man answers.
"That's odd. I had confirmed news that the Mahipal himself was all set to visit the Maharaja." Aniruddha says looking at the ground. The man from the first troop and the others from his troop keep looking at his face, when his face becomes rigid all of a sudden.
"Seems like our plan has been compromised, there has to be a mole within us. The Mahipal has been informed about us, he'll come unannounced." Aniruddha adds.
"Are you certain dada? Who will do something like that? All of us are suffering." A man from the second troop asks.
"Not everyone is the same Sukhi. We are human beings, our perspectives differ. But know this and know well, if I get my hands on the one who is betraying us, I won't spare, I hate doing that." He pauses and then adds,
"Now, Bimal, go and bring back the first troop. There is no need keep so many men posted there anymore. Three of the second troop will go keep an eye on our new arrived guest, read his body language, follow his activities, Tashi will do the rest." With that Aniruddha was about to go back to his practice when his eyes fell on the woman standing silently at the secret entrance. Her hair has been tied back into a neat bun, her saree has been well pinned and managed and her face has a weird determination for someone who just came to visit. His entire body relaxes. His legs start moving towards her immediately as if he has been hypnotized. The moment he reaches close enough to her he sees her visibly gulping. A weird rush goes through his entire body as his breathing speeds up and his eyes snap upwards at her eyes. He closes the gap between them within a millisecond as his hand cups her face.
"Ridhu da.." A small whisper leaves her mouth as he keeps looking at her like a curious animal.
"Hmm?" He hums.
"I.... I..." She was about to say something when someone clears his throat from behind her quite loudly breaking the trance. Aniruddha immediately steps back forcefully taming himself and his eyes fall on the culprit. He furrows his eyebrows in irritation.
"What Tashi?" He utters.
"She is here with a demand dada. A very unique demand." He responds. To this Aniruddha turns back at Mrinalini with his arms crossed.
"A demand? I am used to with most of her demands. Is it something new?" He asks tilting his head to one side. She looks at him and takes a deep breath.
"I want to be a part of your team, I want to learn how to fight." She says with every bit of bravery in her and gets an immediate response.
"No. You can't be a part of it." Aniruddha says as rigidly as possible and turns around. Scared if she gets to see how proud he felt the moment she uttered those words.
"Why?! Is it because I am his daughter?" Mrinalini immediately asks.
"That and the fact that we have no female in the entire group. The works we do are risky. They can cost your life. I won't...." Aniruddha was yet to finish when she interrupts.
"You can't fool me Ridhu da. I know you like the back of my hand. I am certain there is no female in this entire team because none approached. If someone would've been courageous enough you would've accepted her proudly. But I know I am an exception. I am not just every other woman, am I? You're scared that I might get hurt and that's why you don't want me to be a part of it. Isn't it?" She asks but gets no response.
"Turn around and face me. I hate to see you like this Ridhu da." When she gets nothing again she slowly moves forward and places her hand on his shoulder feeling him stiffen under her touch.
"Don't make me do this. It's extremely difficult Mrinal. If your father gets to know about your involvement he'll try to kill you, that's different that if he even dares he'll die the most painful death one can imagine, but either way he'll. I don't want to complicate your life any further." He utters.
"And you can't say these words looking at me, why? Because there's something else. Turn around." With that she turns him around and her eyes fall on the pained grey pair. The last ten days have been a roller coaster ride for her. She hardly got to see him. His entire family was busy handling the tragedy that wreaked havoc on them. He has been visiting and managing the things over at the Barman Villa along with someone named Ashok. She has heard him talk to Aswini about this guy. She could do nothing, help him with nothing other than her almost unnecessary presence.
"I know that time is being tough to you. I know you're in immense pain but there is this feeling within me that keeps saying that I need to be ready. I need to be ready to fight against what's to come. Call it my gut feeling but when the time comes I want to protect you, protect these people and protect myself. I don't want to escape and hide like a coward, I don't want to stand at the door like an unnecessary presence, I want to have the courage to confront anything without fear, I want to stand strongly against all odds. I want to stand beside you when you feel broken like the last few days, when you feel down.
You, Aniruddha Dev Barman, have been my idol, my protector, my friend, my guardian and my teacher. Now if I really want to escalate this to something a little more private, a little more personal and truly want to take you as my love, as my man, I would like to become your equal, a true, worthy equal." She says as Aniruddha's eyes widen and his breathing becomes heavy, Tashi's face breaks into a smile as he looks back and forth between the both of them and slowly takes his leave.
"What did you just say?!" He asks, looking at her in shock.
"I..I said what I said and I won't repeat my words" Mrinalini says turning her face to the side. A mischievous smile spreads through Aniruddha's face as he bites his lower lip with his teeth before grabbing her by her ear and pulling her flash against his chest.
"Owww.. Ridhu da!" She shouts as his hand moves from her ear to the back of her head, entangling his fingers into her hairs.
"Look at me." He whispers and brings her closer to him. His intense grey eyes fall on hers obsidian ones, capturing her soul forever in it. She sees the slight hint of tear in his eyes as he brings her even closer placing his lips on her forehead. Their eyelids get shut on their own accord. She has felt many things around this man but never in her life she felt anything close to what she is feeling now. The feeling of his soft lips against him is not only a gesture of his love but a way of acceptance and she knows it. She chose this and she will take the entire responsibility of it.
This has been the perfect man she grew up idolizing, this is the man who fights for people's right without thinking about his own wellbeing, this is the man who chose to fight for her every time someone opposed her and.....
this is the same man who is organizing a revolution against her own father.
But she still can't help but fall for him, because she can't feel this amount of love and safety around anyone else other than this one man.
Her chain of thoughts break with the deep voice uttering,
"I'll train you, train you to be physically capable to defend yourself and others if needed. But truth be told, you are already my hero and Ira's as well. You never needed that to become my equal Mrinal, you were and you are my equal from the day I laid my eyes on you. Your bravery attracted me. You have been my other half from the day I became sensible enough to see you the way you are, without you I don't function well. I depend on you Mrinal. My entire existence depends on you."
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Love, Puja. 💜