NandhininKarikalan PART- I

The Head Has Fallen

Entrance of Madurai,

By the time the horse with the princess entered Madurai. The sky turn black, and thunders welcomed her.

Unlike the other rainy days when the children would play in the street enjoying the rain.

The streets were empty, and none of the houses had lights inside.

Ignoring everything, the princess headed towards the palace. All the people were gathered there. They looked at the princess with pity full eyes.

She didn't care. when she got off the horse she was greeted by two different voices "Akka!", and "Nandhini".

Nandhini turned towards the direction of the voices, there was her brother, Amarabhujhangan and grandfather,
Periyar Pazluvetrayar was the Prime minister of the Pandiyan empire.

All of his decision was very respected and was accepted by everyone. He was the deciding authority after the king.

"Thambi, that! "Exclaimed Nandhini
"Where is Chakravarthy ?"Nandhini continued. Amarabhiujhangan and Periyar Pazluvetrayar looked at each other and didn't reply.

Nandhini's eyes darkened, and she repeated "Where is Chakravarthy?". Amarabhujhangan was about to open his mouth to say something but periyar pazluvetrayar interrupted him and spoke " Your father is in the bedroom taking rest".

This didn't satisfy Nandhini's question " Then why are the people gathered outside? Why did you call me then ?" Asked Nandhini in anger.

Periyar Pazluvetrayar was about to reply but was stopped by Nandhini's action.

She pushed past him and headed towards her father's chamber calling out for him.

But she was stopped by Amarabhujhangan, he came from behind and held her wrist and told " Akka you go and rest even appa would be tired let's talk in the evening". Nandhini didn't reply she pulled her hands from his grip and ran towards the chamber.

Nandhini's eyes were filled with concern as she entered the chamber, she was surprised to see that the chamber wasn't lit up by the servants, it was pitch black.

Nandhini couldn't see anything. By the time she came and looked around, her brother and Pazluvetrayar also reached there. "Nandhini wait let us explain" told Pazluvetrayar. Nandhini became suspicious.

Nandhini took a lamp and lit it. She was today a step forward, the floor was wet.

Nandhini ignored the wetness and walked forward, she couldn't see anything properly due to no sufficient light.

Amarabhujhangan and Periyar Pazluvetrayar were silent as they knew that Nandhini deserved to know what happened. The crowd started shouting their king's name very loudly.

Periyar Pazluvetrayar signalled Amarabhujhangan to stay here and he went to take care of the crowd.

Nandhini pulled the blanket down a little to see her father's face. His face looked calm and peaceful, Nandini sighed in relief.

But her inner consciousness was telling her that something was not right.

she kept her hand on her father's stomach and the other held the lamp as she sat on the bed. "You scared me for a second thandaye."Nandhini breathed out

She called Amarabhiujhangan to come closer to ask the reason for calling her here and that is when he realises the same wetness in her palms.

Nandhini was confused, she started to shake her father to wake him up, but she got no response. Nandhini tapped her father's face gently. His head moved a bit.

The thunder struck again. The light of the thunder entered the chamber, and Nandhini got up from the bed and went near the curtain, she opened it and looked at her palm, it was covered in red liquid, and her lips parted in realization, it was blood.

The thunder struck again and again.

Nandhini 's eyes widened in horror. She looked back to see her father's white blanket drenched in blood. She started to rip off all the curtains of the chamber.

The wind blew strongly like Nandhini's heart, she couldn't think of anything other than her father.

She rushed up to her father's body and screamed for him to wake up, her brother stood silently aside on the bed.

She shook her father's body with more force. Causing his cut-off head to roll down the bed.

She didn't know how to react. Everything seemed to be frozen for Nandhini.

She went to her father's head and took it in her hands and stared at it. She kept the head back at its place.

Her breath got stuck in her throat. She behaved like a walking dead. Slowly the reality hit her.

Nandhini's eyes teared up after knowing that her father is no more Nandhini's eyes teared up after knowing that her father is no more.

She hugged her father's body and screamed "Apaaaa," continuously. Her brother pulled her away from her father's body and tried to console her but his tries went in vain, she didn't stop screaming.

She started kicking and pulling away from her brother to go near her father.

At the entrance of the palace where Pazluvetrayar had gone to send the people, he heard Nandhini's scream and closed his eyes in the realisation that Nandhini got to know about it.

The people also heard it and their voices increase."Where is our King"; "What happened to him"; " Why didn't he go to the war"; many questions have arisen from the people

"I am not in the place of answering your questions, his children would come and inform everything, " told periyar pazluvetrayar.

Back in the chamber, Amarabhiujhangan started to head tears after seeing his sister's reaction. Nandhini finally calmed down and sat on the bed and kept her father's head on her lap and blanked out staring at his face, not a single tear escaped her eyes.

' Thandai had told me that tears are not to be wasted on something lost, as it is a sign of foolishness and shows weakness ' Nandhini repeated this in her mind like a mantra to stop her tears.

Her brother leaned on her shoulder and wept louder. Nandhini was unaffected and was sitting like a statue.

Periyar Pazluvetrayar came rushing towards the chamber as he failed to control the crowd.

He entered the chamber and told, " Nandhini they are waiting for your words as you are the crown princess."
Nandini slowly turned her head towards him and looked at her father.

She slowly took his head from her lap and keep it on the pillow. She lifted his head from her shoulder.

Nandhini was drenched in blood, some were of her own and other was her father's.

Nandini stood up and walked towards the balcony. All the people turned towards her and started throwing their questions at her, she lifted her hands signalling them to stop.

She gestured pazluvetrayar to inform the news.

He hesitated at first but Nandhini signed him to announce it again. He went to the edge of the balcony and announced the news.

"I Periyar Pazluvetrayar sadly inform you that our King has been murdered by the Cholas. Now your new rule would be 'The Crown Princess Nandhini Devi'."



Hey people, hoped you liked this chapter, leave a comment and vote.

Special thanks to RagKee for supporting.