The Son of River Ponni

Arguments and Solutions

Vanathi knew that Kundavai would get angry. She just didn’t know how angry. She had been arguing with her for the past half an hour. The argument was now gradually becoming louder and louder.

“You were not supposed to confiscate olais from him. I thought you knew that.”, said Kundavai, her face laden with disappointment.

“Yes, akka, but please-” Vanathi started.

“I do not want to listen to any excuses," said Kundavai. "I want you to hand over that olai now.”

The guard had handed the olai to Vanathi before leaving to return to his post.

"Akka, I cannot do so,” said Vanathi, now openly defiant.

The argument continued for some more time before it was agreed between the two of them that Vanathi would give Kundavai the olai after the completion of the public court, as long as Kundavai’s decisions remained uninfluenced by the olai.

With an agreement now in place, Kundavai retired to her room to rest awhile. Meanwhile, Vanathi decided to go to the terrace for some fresh air. She climbed up the steps and reached the terrace. Standing tall above every palace in the fort except the Pazhuvettarayars', she could see everything going on in the streets below.

She saw a couple of young men talking downstairs in rather loud voices. Although the palace was tall, she could hear their words if she strained her ears. Although she normally wouldn’t have paid any attention to them, her curiosity was piqued. She leaned in to listen.

“...Kodumbalur princess is so lucky. Imagine living in palaces like this all year long. After all, although she wasn’t of Chozha lineage, she is still apparently the best friend of the Ilaiya Piratti and just because of tha, she gets to live like a royal in this palace.” one of them was saying.

“You are right.” replied the other man. ”But I don’t even mind that. However, the fact that they just don’t even poke their heads out of their palaces to check on how we are doing. Remember how during the reign of Sundara Chozhar, we used to be checked on as he paraded around on his majestic elephant, searching for flaws and problems with us?” the other said.

“Yes, I do. That was during the golden reign of Sundara Chozhar, wasn’t it? Ah, how great he was. We didn’t even have to voice our problems before they were solved. Uttama Chozhar, although not on the same level, still listened to our problems and did his best to solve them. However, the Ilaiaya Piratti, amazing though her judgment may be when deciding on war and political strategies, appears to falter when it comes to listening to the common man.”

Vanathi, who had been listening to the conversation with rising anger all this while, stopped and thought about the young man’s words. She knew that during the reign of Sundara Chozha, the people of the Empire didn’t have to worry about anything as everything was taken care of for them by the king. Crime was very rare, and the criminals were often caught immediately. Taxes were fair and were adjusted often depending on the conditions that farmers had to endure.

Lately, although she had noticed Kundavai’s mind being far away, she had always thought that Kundavai would always be subjective and clear her mind before dealing with the civilian matters. It now appeared that it wasn’t so.

Kundavai's decision making was not up to scratch, despite Vanathi's best efforts. Now, she had to figure out how she would bring it up to scratch before the court in the evening.

She searched for the sun in the sky. It was right above her head. It was just about noon now. She knew that the court was scheduled to be held in the evening.

If she could just manage to sneak out of the palace, and maybe get a look at the going on in the fort, maybe she could help the Ilaiya Piratti with her decisions.

Vanathi had always been one to decide slowly, mulling over the options she had at her disposal for every decision and weighing their pros and cons before choosing the option that she thought was best.

However, she knew that she had neither time nor many options at the moment. She walked back into the palace quickly. Almost running, she reached the wardrobe room.

A thousand outfits were laying around, mostly draped over thick wooden sticks that ran across the room.

Her keen eyes quickly adjusted to the sudden darkness in the room as she searched for what she wanted.

Finally, she found it - a set of clothes that were decent by commoner standards, but almost rags to a royal. Vanathi didn't mind the appearance so much. After all, she was trying to blend in.

After a quick change, she ran towards the gates of the palace. The guard stopped her.

"Devi, I do not remember seeing you enter. Who are you?" he asked.

Vanathi thought it best to reveal her identity as she wasn't exactly ready with a story at the moment.

"It is me," said Vanathi, dropping the cloth that concealed her face.

The soldier's expression immediately changed to one of respect. Bowing down, he said "Devi, why this elaborate disguise? Surely the citizens would be overjoyed to see your highness. And why the secrecy? Surely you can afford to take some guards with you?" He questioned.

"Ayya, I have neither time nor explanation at the moment. However, I ask, beg if I must, for you to open the gates immediately."

"Certainly Devi! For you to ask me something itself is my greatest honour. However, even the Ilaiya Piratti herself would not deny you something if you begged." said the soldier as he opened the gates.

Vanathi smiled gratefully at the man. She then took a deep breath an dstepped outside.

Well, there you go! Hope it is good enough! Thansk for all the support! It's my main motivating factor to keep me writing. And yes, I know Kundavai hasn't featured much yet, but don't worry. I'll solve that one soon ;). Nandri!