The Crown Prince and His Love

Chapter 60|Danger prevails|

Kanchi

Vanathi had been distracted for a few days with Arulmozhi going to Ilankai. She tried to distract herself, but every little thing reminded her of Arulmozhi, unlimitly reducing her into tears. The girl was worried sick for days on end, crying and fainting and crying again. Kundavai tried her best to console the poor girl but nothing seemed to work.

"Akka, what if something happens to Ponniyin Selvar?" She would blabber. "Is he safe? Why hasn't he written back to us," She would whine.

Only a letter from Arulmozhi can fix her, that anticipated letter arrived on one fine day.

"Akka, Hope everyone is doing well," Arulmozhi wrote. "I have reached Ilankai. We have defeated Mahindhan's army successfully, but my work here is not complete; the people living here face extreme hardships. I'm going to stay here for a while and work on making their lives better. Take care of our family in the meantime, Akka,"

Vanathi did not know how to react. Should she be happy that he was all well and good? Or should she be sad that he decided to prolong his stay in Ilankai? She did not know.

"Also," Arulmozhi added. "I met a girl,"

Vanathi's heart dropped when Kundavai read that sentence. He had described her so beautifully. She was brave and adventurous. Apparently, she was the one who took him to Ilankai...he had even given her a nickname-Samudra Kumari. She is completely in contrast to Vanathi. She was exactly the type of girl Arulmozhi would love, Vanathi thought.

"Oh, Vannu..." Kundavai whispered, seeing tears slowly creeping down Vanathi's face which she quickly wiped off. "It's probably nothing--maybe he just found a friend!"

Vanathi smiled. "Akka, I know about Ponniyin Selvar," She said. He wouldn't forget her, would he?

********

After successfully evading his friend's mockery, Vandiyadevan, along with Semban, made their way into the woods; Vandiyadevan had found a small temple the other day. He took shelter there for a while, enjoying the beauty

Vandiyadevan ran his fingers through the sand, sketching out the girl of his dreams on the ground. "They're taking me for a fool," He muttered. "All because of you," He smiled slightly, his hands moving swiftly as he drew her wavy hair on the ground. "You're an artist, Vandiyadeva," He complimented himself while carefully sketching out her sharp eyes. "If only I could see your whole face," He muttered, roughly detailing the lower half of her face, letting his imagination take the lead. He slowly sketched her sharp nose and moved down to her lips curved in a small smile. Her features were as sharp and precise as her words.

Vandiyadevan gulped; if she looked this good in a badly drawn sketch, what would she look like in real life?

Good things never last; however, before he could take good luck at his picture, a small boy ran full speed into him, knocking him on his back while also disrupting his masterpiece on the ground.

"Adei!" Vandiyadevan chided, holding the boy so he wouldn't fall. "Where did you come from?"

The kid wrestled his way out of Vandiyadevan's arms. "There!" He pointed towards the woods.

"Are you alone?" He asked, dusting away the sand on his attire. The kid nodded.

"I ran away," He whispered, giggling.

Vandiyadevan rubbed the back of his head. "Thambi, there are tigers here in this woods; you shouldn't be here alone," He warned.

"Let there be," The kid shrugged. "I'm a big fish, I'll eat the tiger,"

Vandiyadevan raised a brow. "Fishe's can't eat tigers,"

"They can!" The kid said adamantly. "My father said so,"

Vandiyadevan was perplexed, who in their right mind would tell a kid that a fish can eat a whole tiger?

"Seri, where are you from? Where are your parents?" He asked, concerned, it was not safe for him to roam all alone around here.

"I'm from Madurai," He said, looking around.

"Madurai?" Vandiyadevan asked again; well, that explains his story about fish-eating tigers.

The kid nodded, his eyes going wide as he spotted Semba. "Is that your horse?" He asked, running towards him. The kid put up his hands and gently petted Semban. "Can I have your horse?"

"Uh..." Vandiyadevan felt a tinge of guilt for declining a kid's wish, but he couldn't possibly give up his only possession. he could tell Semban would be more than happy with a new owner. "Thambi, I'm sorry...I can't, but I can give you a ride?"

The kid frowned; before he could accept Vandiyadevan's offer, someone interrupted them.

"Amara, what are you doing here? Everyone's searching for you," A woman scolded the kid, holding him by his arm so he couldn't run off again. She looked at Vandiyadevan briefly and her whole demeanour changed for a moment. She immediately broke eye contact and focused on getting the kid out of there at this instant.

"I don't want to come!" The kid shouted. But despite his pleas, the woman dragged him off hurriedly.

What a weird encounter, he thought to himself, sitting down again. Something felt off, what would a boy from Madurai possibly be doing here at Kanchi?

He frowned in deep concentration, his gut was telling him something was wrong. Did the Pandiyan rebels get here?

Then it struck him. "Oh hell," Vandiyadevan exclaimed, swiftly getting up on his feet.

********

A/N

HELLOOOO! IM BACK

Took a small...welllll long break since I started college, Had to settle in and get a rhythm before uploading again.