The Son of River Ponni

Flying Arrows

Vanthiyathevan and Arulmozhi glanced at each other, mystified. The yell didn't seem to be one of pain, but rather, one of surprise and shock. Just as they got up to go upstairs and investigate the source of the sound, they heard hurried footsteps coming down the stairs. A moment later, the captain burst into the room, panting from the speed at which he had rushed down.

"Ayya, what happened? Who was the person that was yelling, and why was he yelling?", Arulmozhi inquired of the captain.

"Ayya, I beg you, pray remain here in this cabin for awhile. It would not do to come upstairs now and expose yourself to danger."

"Captain, we are talking at cross-purposes here. You know very well that if any danger has befallen this ship, or indeed, this fleet, I will not stay down in this cabin, hiding from it. Now, please allow me to go upstairs."

The captain reluctantly removed himself from the doorway and stood by respectfully for the prince and Vanthiyathevan to pass by before following them.

The trio quickly climbed up the stairs to reach the main deck. As soon as they climbed up, they saw a small crowd of soldiers and sailors standing at the prow of the ship, huddled around something. Arulmozhi and Vanhiyathevan knew that this would not be an injured person, as no soldier would be standing around. They would have grabbed their bows and started firing back.

As the two of them, the captain a short distance behind, approached, the crowd parted to allow them to see the recipient of all the action. Now, they could see the cause of the commotion. A singular arrow was sticking out of the deck. It looked like it had been made very recently, as the sharp metal was still shiny.

As soon as they reached, Vanthiyathevan promptly sat on the deck and examined the arrow carefully while Arulmozhi enquired about the person who yelled. It turned out that the cook had just finished his duties in the kitchen and had come out for a walk and a breath of fresh air. As he was doing so, he saw an arrow land on the deck with a thud, which had led him to yell in surprise.

He had then immediately appraised the captain, who had come running at the yell, of what happened.

"So, did you see where the arrow came from?" Arulmozhi asked the cook.

"No Ayya. I was unable to see that from my position. However, I think it should have come from the forest, which, I admit, does not narrow it down much."

"Very well. You may go now." Saying so, Arulmozhi sent the cook and the other soldiers who had gathered there away. Then, as he watched the forest for any sign of movement, of which there were none, Vanthiyathevan tapped him on his shoulder and pointed down. Arulmozhi got the message and followed the prince of Vallam back to Arulmozhi's cabin. As soon as they went down, Vanthiyathevan looked around warily and locked the door.

He then turned to Arulmozhi, who had a questioning expression on his face, and said, "Ayya, forgive me for these security measures. This arrow was launched at our ship with a purpose - to bear a message. This piece of paper was tied around it." Saying so, Vanthiyathevan handed over a small, but clean sheet of paper. One glance at it was enough to tell that it was of high quality.

Arulmozhi slowly examined the paper, and then opened it.

***

Far away from the roaring seas and sandy shores of the Srivijaya kingdom, far from the beautiful shorelines and ships full of warriors, in the powerful Chozha kingdom, in the so-called vice-capital of Tanjore, the princess of the Chozha clan, unmatchable in wit and mental strength, and one with no equal in beauty, Kundavai was sitting on a swing, outside the royal palace. While the capital of the kingdom was often the place where the king resided, the current king, Madhurantaka Uttama Chozha spent most of his time in his native town of Kodikkarai, on the coast, making Tanjore, the de facto capital, as the princess resided there.

Kundavai was lost in thought, her eyes had a misty expression, as though her mind was not in Tanjore, but on an island far away. She still couldn't get his face out of her head. It followed her, like a pleasant dream that kept beckoning her to stop whatever she was doing, and slip into it.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming down the hallway to the courtyard. She hastily rearranged her face into an expression of normalcy. The doors swung open, and the wife of her younger brother, the Kodumbalur princess, Vanathi walked in.

As she saw Kundavai sitting on the swing, her face changed into a knowing expression as she guessed what Kundavai had been thinking about. This had been particularly easy for Vanathi to guess and understand, as she had often spent time doing the exact same thing that Kundavai was doing now, wondering about Arulmozhi Varman, who was now her husband, while he was in Ilangai, fighting wars and doing whatever princes do when they are fighting a war.

"Well, Vanathi? Sit down. What have you come to see me about?" Kundavai asked with a smile on her face.

"Akka, what can I say? Ever since my husband and his friend left for the high seas, I often find you in this position, either here or somewhere else."

"What position is this which you have noticed, my girl?"

"Akka, I have noticed that often you sit on a swing or on your bed, and just stare into the empty ceiling for some time. Also, whenever you hear me coming to the door, you shake yourself out of some kind of trance and ask me why I came in search of you as though nothing happened. Of course, I know the reason for this, Akka..."

"Oh, you do, do you? Please, enlighten me."

"Akka, I think that your mind travels all the way to the high seas, where the King of Vallam is on a ship with the prince, conquering new lands and expanding the Chozha empire."

"Girl, do you think I am like you to always keep my mind flying away. I have full control of my faculties." Kundavai replied in mock anger.

Vanathi simply looked at the princess with a smile on her face. After some time, Kundavai sighed, knowing that Vanathi had caught her in the act. She motioned for Vanathi to sit on the swing next to her. 

Well, that was Chapter 3. Now, I guess you know what the format of this story will be, switching between characters a lot. On a different note, thanks a lot for 100 reads. Means the world to me. If you like this story, please don't forget to vote, share and comment. By the way, from now, I will be uploading every Wednesday. So yeah, see you next Wednesday. Nandri!