A Mutual Attraction
Eight of the soldiers who had accompanied Princess Chamundeswari on her journey from Azhagapuri to Thanjavur stood in front of the rest house where she was staying. They were ready for the journey back home to Kongunadu.
“There were ten of you when we came; but only eight are here now. Where are the others?” asked Chamundeswari, pinning the men with her sharp gaze. While she knew fully well that Sokkan and Bairavan were languishing in the dungeons of the Thanjavur fort, she refrained from mentioning it to the others.
“Er… Your Majesty!” Sadaiyan stepped forward to speak on behalf of the soldiers, bowing low before the princess. “The truth is that none of us know where they are. Sokkan did not return after your dance performance at the Brihadeeshwarar Koil last night. And Bairavan has disappeared from early morning.”
“What do you mean by disappeared? How can soldiers simply vanish into thin air?” asked the princess, her voice commanding as she sought for an explanation.
“We do not really know, Your Majesty!” responded Sadaiyan, squirming.
“I cannot postpone my return home. We have to leave immediately,” she said, continuing, “Who will be in charge in Sokkan’s absence?”
“I will, Your Majesty!” said Sadaiyan, unable to control the glee that crept into his voice. The commander-in-chief of the army had been clear in his instructions regarding the line of command. And Sadaiyan was glad that he could now move to the top position in the princess’s escort troop instead of being second. He could not help feeling glad that Sokkan had disappeared. And well, it was not up to him to find out what had happened to the two soldiers. After all, they were grown up men and well trained to take care of themselves.
“Alright, Sadaiya! We will leave in two naazhigais from now. Get the carts ready and have the men pack everything properly.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” said Sadaiyan.
“And by the way, Adityan will be travelling with us,” said the princess, pointing to the silent Vijayendra Chozhan standing on one side, a few feet away from her.
While all the soldiers turned to look at the stranger, Sadaiyan’s gaze went wide when he noticed how tall and muscular Adityan was. The man did not appear like someone who would listen to anyone’s orders let alone follow Sadaiyan’s command. He frowned, turning to the princess and addressing her. “We cannot take a stranger along with us, Your Majesty! The Senapati will not approve.” Pandiyan had particularly warned his men about how to deal with such a situation if and when it arose.
“It does not really matter to me if the commander-in-chief approves or not, do you understand?” said Chamundeswari, her voice lowered but intensely stern as she fixed Sadaiyan with her sharp gaze. She did not lose her calm as she waited for him to accept her diktat on this matter. “I am the princess of Kongunadu and you are all here to follow my orders. If you are not in agreement, you may leave Sadaiya, immediately.”
Vijayendran could not help but admire Princess Chamundeswari for the command over the situation. It would not be easy considering the fact that she was not just young, but also built way smaller than the hugely muscular Sadaiyan who resembled a huge tree trunk.
“But… but Your Majesty! We do not know who this man is. He could be an enemy. Looking at him, it is obvious that he is a warrior. What if…?”
Chamundeswari lifted an authoritative hand to stop Sadaiyan from speaking further. “You might not know who Adityan is. But I do!” She paused, waiting for her words to sink into all the men. “Adityan is a distant relative from my mother’s side. And yes, he is trained in warfare. He will be spending some time at Azhagapuri as my guest. I do not want to hear anything more from you on the subject, Sadaiya. You have wasted enough of my time. You had better get your men to finish packing if you plan to go with me when I leave here.” She swiftly turned around to walk back into the rest house, not leaving Sadaiyan and the rest of the soldiers with a choice but to follow her orders.
Vijayendran watched the scene with a small smile of amusement tilting his mouth at the corners. It had been truly impressive as well as entertaining, watching the princess in action.
So! He had been relegated to the role of a distant relative of Princess Chamundeswari’s; from her mother’s side too. He bit his lip to stop himself from laughing out loud when he caught the dirty look Sadaiyan gave him.
Well, the prince mentally shrugged to himself, as long as he got to go with the princess back to her capital city. Or Vishnurayan might never forgive him. As for Vijayendran, he had never broken anyone’s trust until now. Nor did he plan to do so, going forward.
The princess got on her horse exactly at the time she had planned to leave even as her maid settled into the horse carriage.
“Your Majesty!” Velan bowed before the princess. “May I shut the tiger up in his cage?” He was quaking, not at all keen on dealing with the princess’s pet.
“Adityan will be handling Manu from now on. You, Velan, must take charge of the cart with my luggage in it. Do check if they have packed a tent for me.”
Velan stared at the princess as if he wondered what she needed a tent for, but did not argue the point. More than anything, he was relieved to be free of the duty of taking care of the tiger. Manu scared Velan so much that the soldier lived in fear of being mauled to death by the tiger.
“I will do that, Your Majesty,” he responded with a deep bow before setting about the task of verifying that everything was in order as per the princess’s requirements.
Soon, the party left—the eight soldiers in the lead, followed by the first horse cart with the princess’s luggage, a second one with all the provisions, vegetables and meat required for the journey, and a third with Anagha ensconced in it. This was followed by the tiger’s cage on wheels drawn by two horses, Manu himself sprawled comfortably on top of it.
The last to follow were Princess Chamundeswari and Prince Vijayendra Chozhan on their horses Rahu and Kethu respectively.
The princess had been adamant about the formation as she did not want the soldiers hovering around her, annoying her with their chatter. She was happy riding her horse, with Manu travelling within sight. According to Chamundeswari, Manu was protection enough for her and then there was the fact that she was capable of defending herself; she could wield just about any kind of weapon. While she always carried a kuthuval in the belt at her waist, she also had her sword; her bow and a quiver full or arrows stored under Manu’s cage, in a satchel that Anagha had tied to the bottom of it. Only she and Anagha were privy to this fact. It was good thing that the soldiers were too afraid of getting close to the tiger.
Chamundeswari did her best to ignore the man riding silently beside her. But it was too difficult. For one thing, his presence was powerful. She could not help wondering if he had royal blood running in his veins. After all, his stance and conduct were too regal for him to be an ordinary warrior.
There could be no doubt about the fact that Adityan was a warrior. It was so obvious if one only looked at his shoulders and arms that were taut and muscular. And now she could see his long legs too with his veshti tied in a kaccham to make it easier for him to sit astride his horse. Built like tree trunks, his legs also had a few battle scars proclaiming him to be the warrior that he was.
An unexpected sigh shuddered through her being, startling her by its intensity. Now where had it come from? And what could be the reason for it? Chamundeswari did not want to dwell too deeply into it. One thing she did realise was the truth that she was not able to hold on to her irritation with the man, not any longer. At least, the sharpness of her temper had somehow become blunted. To be replaced by what, she could not fathom. That she was roiling with some intense emotion, she could not deny. But it was so unfamiliar that she could not understand what was happening to her.
Whenever Adityan was around, she wanted to ignore him. But whenever he was not in her presence, her eyes kept searching for him. But why? Did it mean that she missed him when he was not in her vicinity?
Chamundeswari shook her head in denial, unable to stop the torrent of thoughts and feelings streaming through her.
Vijayendran turned his head to the left to look at the silent woman riding beside him. Had she just shaken her head? Or had he imagined it? The expression on her face was so fierce that he could not help wondering if she was upset about something.
“Is everything alright with you, Your Majesty?” he asked in a soothing voice. “Would you like to take a break, maybe?”
Her head shot around sharply and she stared at him, as if wondering what he was doing riding beside her. “Did you say something?” she asked, her voice hoarse. Why did he have to be so good looking? He was so perfect, in fact.
“Is something the matter, my princess?” he asked again, his voice as soft as the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, managing to make her feel so cherished.
She shook her head to deny his words. But her lips drooped of their own volition, negating the shake of her head.
Vijayendran reined in his horse, coming to a standstill before taking charge of Rahu’s reins as well.
“Why are we stopping here?” asked Chamundeswari, trying to glare at him and failing miserably.
“Just for a brief while, princess. Do you need a drink of water?” he asked, his gaze searching her face. She was disturbed for whatever reason. Will she tell me if I ask her? Vijayendran did not think so.
“Yes, I would like that,” she responded.
He jumped off the horse, even as he called out to the cart driver who was in charge of Manu’s cage. When the cart stopped, Vijayendran opened the cage where a pot of water sat on a circular stand woven with hay, ensuring that it did not tilt with the movement of the wheels. Filling a brass cup with cool water, he carried it over to the princess.
She took the cup from him, careful not to let their fingers touch, bringing a smile to his face. So! She was as aware of him as he was of her. Good!
He waited for Chamundeswari to finish drinking before he asked, “Would you like some more, princess?”
She shook her head. “I have had enough. And thank you!” she added as an afterthought.
He climbed on to his horse after returning the brass cup to the cage before asking, “Are you feeling better?”
How she wished that a cup of water had the capability of solving her problem! A smile stretched her mouth at that thought and she turned to look at him before saying, “Yes, I am feeling much better. Let us catch up with the others.”
With that, she gave Rahu his head, the horse galloping fast to catch up with the others.
Vijayendran followed her at a slower pace, his expression thoughtful. Was it possible for a drink of water to make one feel better? He could not believe such a thing. But then, there was no way he could pressure the princess into giving him a straightforward answer. After all, they were still strangers to one another, despite the strong thread of attraction that held them together.
The thought of their mutual attraction giving him cause to smile, the Chozha prince let Kethu pick up pace and he soon caught up with Princess Chamundeswari.
