The Princess Flees
Pachaimalai Forest 1027 CE
It was early evening when Rajendran and his wife Devi were swimming in the lake in the middle of Pachamalai forest. They were travelling along with a handful of sentries and servants on their way from Gangaikonda Chozhapuram—capital of the Chozha kingdom—towards Kongunadu, a vassal kingdom. The trip had been suddenly planned at the whim of Rajendran; his sudden need to meet his half-brother. After all, the young Vijayendran had been missing in action for more than a month, after he left for Thanjavur.
Hearing the distant clip clop of a horse’s hoofs, Devi lifted her face to look over her husband’s head to see a lone rider coming in their direction. Her gaze went wide when she realised that it was a young woman, her dark hair flying behind her as she raced across the forest, parallel to the lake. Devi was surprised to see that the woman had no escort.
She touched her husband’s shoulder before pointing her chin behind him. “Swami, there is someone coming. She is riding a white horse and seems to be in a tearing hurry. Should we…”
Rajendran turned around even before his wife completed the sentence, his eyebrows pleating in concentration. “You are right. Let us go and find out who she is.”
The two of them swam to the shore and got out, squeezing the excess water from their garments. The man lifted a hand to stop the rider and her horse. Giving her his hand, he helped her off her mount, even as he studied her tired face. It was obvious that she must be royalty, even though she wore very less jewellery and was wrapped in a simple cotton sari. It was something in the expression of her golden eyes and the way she carried herself that let out the fact that she belonged to a royal family.
“Who are you?” he asked, his voice gentle but commanding.
Chamundeswari gave the man a wary glance. He appeared to be about sixty years old and had a regal bearing. She shifted her gaze to the woman standing next to him. It was obvious from her body language that the lady was his spouse. Well, she mentally shrugged to herself thinking, what do I have to lose?
Meeting the man’s dark gaze that seemed surprisingly familiar, Chamundeswari said, “I am Princess Chamundeswari from Kongunadu. May I know who you are?” she asked in turn. The eyes were familiar, reminding her of someone, but she could not recall who it was.
The man gave her a benign smile. “People call me Rajendran, my child. And this is my Devi,” he said, introducing his wife. “What brings you this far? Is no one accompanying you?” he asked. The man and his wife were on their way to Azhagapuri, the capital of Kongunadu. That is where his half-brother had gone, is what Rajendran had come to know in Thanjavur. And that is where he was headed now, along with his wife. Rajendran had a powerful feeling of intuition that he was needed at his brother’s side urgently and had simply followed his instincts. He wondered if he should ask the princess about Vijayendran, but first of all, he must find out what she was doing in the forest all alone. And she appeared tired, as if she had been riding all day.
“Will you have something to drink, my child? Swami, should we continue with this conversation once we are all comfortable?” asked Devi, drawing her husband’s attention to the fact that the rider must be tired and thirsty while they themselves were still wet from their swim in the lake.
Rajendran turned around to look at his wife with his amused gaze. “As always, you are right, Devi.” Turning back to Chamundeswari, he said, “Hand over your horse to Murugan and come along with us.”
Chamundeswari did as he commanded, though she continued to be wary. She was in a hurry to reach Thanjavur. Or maybe will even have to go to Gangaikonda Chozhapuram which was even further away. Her husband Adityan’s life was in danger. And they had been married for barely three days.
I must have brought him bad luck! Chamundeswari could not help thinking so. After all, had not her parents perished when she was barely four years old? Rubbing a hand over her dampening eyes, she stepped forward before stopping to gaze at the large and colourful tents ahead of her. This couple was definitely someone important. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she went along with them.
“Do take a seat, child. We will join you soon. Muruga, serve the young lady some water,” said Devi before walking to the backside of the tent which was curtained away from the living area.
Rajendran followed his wife with a smile in his eyes. Murugan returned with a silver tray on which sat a jug full of water and four silver cups. Pouring out a glass to the visitor, he said respectfully, “Would you like to have some wine, My Lady? Or maybe some herbal tea?”
Chamundeswari gave a soft sigh when she heard the words ‘herbal tea’. Nodding to the servant, she said, “I will have the herbal tea. Make it as hot as possible, please.”
“Yes, My Lady!” Murugan stepped out of the tent only to return in a hurry, calling out loudly, “My Lord! My Lord! There is a tiger outside our tent.” His voice shook with fear on coming face to face with a fully grown tiger right outside the entrance to the tent.
Chamundeswari jumped up from the chair she was sitting on to rush to the entrance even as Rajendran stepped back into the living area on hearing Murugan call out to him. Curious, he walked behind the guest to find out why a young woman would run towards a tiger instead of in the opposite direction.
The sight that greeted his eyes made them go wide with wonder. He saw Chamundeswari on her knees, hugging the tiger, her face buried in its side. His twinkling glance met Murugan’s before he said, “I suppose the tiger must belong to the guest. You go ahead and bring some herbal tea for everyone.”
“Yes, My Lord!” said Murugan, bowing his head to his employer. He had a difficult time moving away from the scene as he kept turning his gaze to their guest speaking to the tiger as if it was a long-lost friend. “Manu! What are you doing here? You are supposed to be at home, safe.”
Chamundeswari stood up to turn to her host. “Will it be alright if Manu comes inside your tent? I do not want someone to kill him by mistake. He is neither wild nor a maneater,” she explained. She had not been aware that Manu had been following her all the way from home.
“I suppose Manu will not be averse to some food, would he?” Seeing her nod, Rajendran called out to another servant to bring a plate of choice meats and a bowl of water for the tiger. “Come along, Manu,” he invited the guest’s pet as if it was a friend of his too.
Chamundeswari smiled at the man, impressed by the way he dealt with her tiger. “Thank you,” she said, even as Manu walked forward to butt his head against the man’s leg. “Manu!” she protested.
Rajendran lifted a hand to stop her. “Do not worry, my child. I think we are going to be friends,” he said, rubbing his hand over the tiger’s velvety head.
She could not but be impressed by the man’s gesture and the lack of fear in his stance; though she did not say anything as she walked back towards the entrance to the tent.
“Come along in and sit down. Devi should join us soon. You can have your herbal tea now. It will not be long before dinner is served.”
“Er… My Lord Rajendran! I will not be able to stop for dinner. I need to reach the rest house further along the forest before it turns dark,” said Chamundeswari.
Not missing the anxiety in her eyes, the man said, “I do not think you will be able to reach the rest house before dark, my child. Why do you not spend the night with us? I will get someone to set up a private tent for your use. You can continue with your journey come morning.”
Chamundeswari had returned to her seat by now and Devi had also joined them. The lady said, “Chamundeswari, let me join my Swami in inviting you to spend the night here, my dear. If I am not mistaken, you have been travelling since morning. Is that right?” she asked, compassion in her gaze.
The princess’s mouth drooped at the corners. She knew for a fact that it might be pretty late by the time she reached the rest house, but she did not want to delay her journey unless it was absolutely necessary. Picking up a cup of the hot beverage when Murugan served it, she took a sip from it before speaking to her hostess. “What do I say, My Lady? My husband’s life is in danger. I need to meet Emperor Rajendra Chozhan urgently. I cannot waste any time.”
Rajendran got up from his chair to take the stance of a warrior ready to go into battle. “Who is your husband?” he asked her.
“Adityan is my husband’s name. We have been married only three days. They have arrested my husband and left him to die in the dungeons. I hope to appeal to the emperor to go to Adityan’s rescue; or at least send someone powerful enough to make it possible. I do not have much time.”
Rajendran turned to glance at his wife, a question in his eyes before returning his gaze to their guest. “Who arrested Adityan? And why?” he asked, his voice gruff. He could not help wondering if Adityan was the man he thought he was.
Devi went to sit next to Chamundeswari and took her hand in hers, hoping to calm her down. That is when she noticed the tiger-faced bracelet on her wrist. She quickly checked the princess’s other hand to see that the second of the pair graced the other wrist. This particular pair of kankanams belonged to the Chozha royal family. With a smile on her lips, she looked up at her husband to draw his attention to the bracelets. Rajendran glanced at his wife, but did not acknowledge her gesture.
“Pandiyan, the commander-in-chief of Kongunadu’s army, arrested Adityan today morning. That was because… because…” Chamundeswari hesitated, wondering whether she should share the intimate details of her life to this couple who were complete strangers. But then, she had missed neither the love nor the compassion in the woman’s gaze. While the man had been completely respectful and even making an effort to cater to her needs. “Adityan and I got married at the Murugan Koil three days ago. But it was a secret wedding with only five witnesses, including two loyal servants, a soldier and two priests at the temple. No one else in Kongunadu was aware of the wedding.”
“I suppose you had a reason for the secrecy.” Rajendran eyed her with his dark gaze that was as sharp as a lance.
The princess’s lips drooped. “Before the ceremony, I wanted it to remain secret because I did not want my stepmother, Queen Naganandini, to stop the wedding.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Well, Adityan is a warrior in the Chozha ranks. The queen’s brother, chief minister Marthanda Bhupathi, feels that Adityan is not even important enough to sit at the royal table during meals. Between them—the queen and chief minister—they are totally powerful. What they say, is law in the kingdom.”
“You are the princess. Do you not have any power?” came the next question, sharper than ever.
Devi rolled her eyes at her husband. Where did he think he was, questioning the local princess the way he was doing?
There was no answering smile on Rajendran’s face as he waited for Princess Chamundeswari’s answer.
The princess sighed. “Not really. I turn seventeen in two and a half months. That is when I will be taking the reins of Kongunadu as the queen. Till then, I am under their power.” She sighed again.
“What about after the wedding? You say that three days are gone after the event. Why were the others not informed?” asked the shrewd Rajendran.
“Adityan told me it is for the best and he had his reasons.”
“And you trusted him without question?”
The princess sat up straight in her chair to look her host directly in his eyes. “Yes! And I still do,” she said, simply.
“You mentioned Adityan was from Thanjavur. How and where did you meet him?” Rajendran continued with his questions even while his wife gestured wildly to him, trying to convince him that it was enough.
The princess nodded. “As I mentioned before, he is a warrior in the Chozha army. I met Adityan in Thanjavur. He came to my kingdom only because I needed protection from the queen and her brother, the chief minister. But now… now…” her voice broke as Chamundeswari buried her face in her hands, ashamed to cry in front of two strangers, even if they were really nice to her.
After a few minutes, she sniffed deeply before lifting her head to face her hosts courageously. “But now, he has been arrested and they would not even let me meet him.” The whole experience was surreal. “I left Azhagapuri immediately on knowing there was no way to meet Adityan. Now, I need to seek audience with the Chozha emperor and ask for his help. I…”
Devi ran a soothing hand over Chamundeswari’s head. “It is alright, my child. There is no need for you to be so upset. Nothing will happen to your Adityan, not when he has my Swami’s help. We will go with you to your kingdom.”
Her face streaked with tears, Chamundeswari looked at her hostess. Could she mean it? “But why would you do that?” she asked, her voice hoarse with emotion. “You both have already helped me so much by letting me rest here for a while. I do not want to put you to more trouble. You do not know the queen and chief minister. They are pure evil. And as for Senapati Pandiyan, he is the devil himself. Worse than all that is the guest we have from Chozha Nadu…”
“And who would that be?” asked Rajendran, bemused by her words.
“Prince Vijayendra Chozhan. I believe he is the emperor’s half-brother.” Chamundeswari shuddered, thinking of the lecherous man who was keen to marry her. “He has asked for my hand in marriage. No way would I marry that man, even if I was not already married to Adityan.” She shuddered some more. “But forget all that, I do not want you both to come to any harm.”
Devi was astounded at the princess’s words, lifting both her eyebrows to gaze at her husband, as if to ask him if he understood anything out of it.
As for Rajendran, he threw back his head and laughed, and laughed some more, finding Chamundeswari’s words highly amusing even as he understood exactly what must have happened. “Believe me, my child, there is no one on earth who can harm either me or my family.” He walked over to sit on Chamundeswari’s right side, opposite his wife. Looking at Devi, he said, “Show me.”
The princess looked from one to the other. What did he want his wife to show him?
Devi lifted Chamundeswari’s hand to exhibit the bracelet to her husband. “This is a Chozha heirloom, I am sure.”
“Yes, it used to belong to my father, and his father before him,” said Rajendran quietly.
“But… I do not understand. Adityan told me that it belonged to his mother. Actually, his father had gifted it to her.”
“He was only telling you the truth, my child,” agreed Rajendran, nodding his head, finally sure who Adityan was. Now, he felt his temper rise, slowly but surely. So! They had had the audacity to arrest Adityan—Vijayendra Aditya Chozhan. He could not help marvelling at their daring, foolish as it was.
The courageous and rebellious princess felt confused and broken. She did not know what to say, what to do. She had been clear that she was going to meet Maharaja Rajendra Chozhan and seek his help to rescue her husband. But now, she had chanced upon this couple who were only a day away from Kongunadu. And it looked like they were ready to help. It made sense not to waste time and accept their offer. But will they be able to deal with the wily chief minister and commander-in-chief of her kingdom?
Bringing her hands together as a mark of respect, Chamundeswari said, “I do not think it is fair to trouble you. As I mentioned before, the three of them—the queen, the chief minister and the commander-in-chief—make terrible enemies. I do not want you to place your lives at risk,” she pleaded with them.
“My dear princess!” Rajendran smiled through his anger. “Listen. You can stop worrying about your husband from now on. We are here to help and you need not worry about our safety. After all…” As he continued to speak, Princess Chamundeswari’s mouth fell wide open, even as her eyes went wide in complete astonishment. She turned to look at Devi as if to find out if what she was hearing was the truth before turning to Rajendran and then back again to Devi. She was bewildered when the two of them burst out laughing as one.
