The Son of River Ponni

At Sea

A fleet of ships sailed on the water, moving slowly as the breeze pushed them along. Each ship was made of strong teak wood and was seventy-five feet long and twenty-two feet wide. The tall mast held a sail, carrying the Chozha tiger emblem. At the top of the mast, the tiger flag proudly fluttered in the wind.

Vallavarayan Vanthiyathevan, the scion of the once powerful Vanar dynasty, stood on the prow of the leading ship, gazing ahead into the vast ocean ahead, full of crystal-clear water that sparkled in the sun and fishes of hundreds of different colors that swam by in droves. He gazed at his beautiful surroundings with happiness filling his heart.

'Ah, how time flies by. I remember myself on the shore of the Veera Narayana Lake, admiring the beauty of the great Chozha lands. And yet, in what seemed like a moment, eighteen months have flown by, and here I am, on a ship to establish Chozha supremacy in islands far off the coast as the commander of the Chozha Naval Forces, and a companion of Ponniyin Selvar.'

Under the able reign of Madhurantaka Uttama Chozhan, Chozha Nadu had flourished, as temples of unheard of proportions were built and justice was served to one and all without exception. However, it would not do to discount the influence of Kundavai Devi, the daughter of Sundara Chozha, and princess of the kingdom from the immense role she had in overseeing all these tasks.

Just thinking about Kundavai made Vanthiyathevan's heart almost burst with happiness. He wondered about the penances he had done in his previous births to deserve the pure love of such a beautiful and intelligent woman as her.

The last time he had seen her was when she and the other ladies in the palace had assembled on the steps of the palace to send off Prince Arulmozhi Varman to battle. He couldn't forget her eyes, locked on to his, throughout the ceremony. Later, before he left, she had taken him aside and given him a palm-leaf olai for him to open only after he had boarded the ship.

When he opened it, he saw only two words - "I will be waiting."

"Vanthiyatheva?", said a voice from behind him.

He turned around to see the prince standing a short way off, looking at him.

"May I join you?"

"Certainly Ayya. Must you ask?" Vanthiyathevan replied. Arulmozhi walked up to stand beside him.

"You know, this has always been my dream - to sail to lands on the far seas, learn their languages and cultures, and raise the tiger flag in these countries as well.

"Ayya, these dreams are very noble indeed, but will this fleet alone be enough? We have left half of our ships in the Nicobar Islands for security purposes until the next fleet comes. Wouldn't it be prudent to wait until that happens, when we will have a larger fleet and more soldiers to fight with?"

"Vanthiyatheva, I too am aware of the shortcomings of the fleet. It was also my initial plan to wait until the security fleet came. However, I received an olai from the Prime Minister that changed my mind."

"What did he say?"

"He informed me that the ships were taking longer to construct due to some errors in the new design that had led to major problems. He said that the fleet would not be ready by the end of the month."

"Well, surely we can wait it out until the end of the month, Ayya?

"No, my friend. By that time, the island will begin to be buffeted by storms and cyclones. Fighting will be impossible. Also, by that time, the Srivijaya emperor, who rules much of the land around here will have organized his army and be prepared to fight us. We cannot let that happen."

"Land? I can't see any land around here, my lord. Surely you don't have better eyesight than me. Or is it magical land that can be seen only by the eyes of the Chozha prince?", Vanthiyathevan replied sarcastically, causing the prince to laugh at his words.

Just then, a bell rang repeatedly, signaling that lunch was ready. Arulmozhi and Vanthiyathevan would be served food in their cabins, as they were the commanders of the fleet, while the soldiers and sailors ate in a common mess. However, Arulmozhi usually chose to eat with the soldiers while enquiring about their well-being and having a chat with them, and so, he set off in the direction of the mess, accompanied by Vanthiyathevan.

The soldiers had assembled expectantly in the mess, and stood up when the prince walked in. The prince gestured to them to sit down and start the meal. Steaming white rice and aromatic gravies were brought into the mess in huge containers.

The soldiers ate cheerfully, talking amongst themselves. Soon, the massive containers were emptied and the soldiers were each given a cup of sweet payasam. Their stomachs now satisfied, Vanthiyathevan and Arulmozhi decided to get an update from the captain about when they would reach land and walked to his cabin.

The captain was pondering upon a large map spread on a table. Upon the entry of the two men, he quickly stood up and offered his greetings.

"Welcome, Ayya. How can I help you?"

"Sir, please sit down. We were just wondering how much longer it would take to make landfall?"

"Ayya, I am quite certain of our position, and weather permitting, we should make landfall by dawn tomorrow. I would request your highness to retire for today and take a rest, for it is quite late, and you may have to wake up early tomorrow."

"I will do as you say Ayya. I am sure you will be more than capable of handling any minor issues that pop up, but if it is anything problematic, please let me know."

"Very well, Ayya. I thank you for your trust."

After this conversation, Arulmozhi exited the cabin, and after telling Vandiyathevan to take rest as the next day may be tiring. After saying so, he retired to his cabin, and Vanthiyathevan was left walking slowly as he enjoyed the sea breeze and the sound of the waves breaking against the bow of the ship.

As he looked into the bottomless water from the side of the ship, he remembered one particular escapade of his which involved willingly jumping off a boat into the sea, only to have to be fished out by the now empress, Poonguzhali, and shuddered as he remembered the helplessness he felt into the water as he didn't know how to swim.

He continued to walk and reached his cabin at the very front of the ship. The cabin was plainly furnished but comfortable enough to spend a few nights in. As it was located at the fore, it was triangular in shape and had two windows on either side and a cot in the middle. He laid down on this and looked at the ceiling, listening to waves as they hit the side of the ship for some time thinking about a city, far away, adorned with beautiful palaces, in which a princess lived. Soon, sleep overcame him and his eyes closed.

The next day, he was awoken early and suddenly to shouts of "I see land! I see land!"

So, that was Chapter 1. If you liked it, please don't hesitate to vote, comment and share. Also, this is a test chapter as I want to check if there is an audience for this kind of story or not. Therefore, there might be a delay between this chapter and the next. However, after that, I will settle into a regular schedule. Nandri!