Vishnurayan’s Heartburn
Vishnurayan knocked on the door to Vijayendran’s quarters before stepping in. The prince was already up and ready at that early hour even before the sun had risen. He had obviously shaved and had a bath before dressing in a freshly washed veshti and tunic. His hair was combed back neatly while his thick moustache was brushed well too, bracketing his mouth to reach down to the sides of his square chin.
“Vanakkam Illavarase!” greeted Vishnurayan, bowing deeply before Vijayendran.
The Chozha prince smiled in greeting even as he shook his head. “Good morning, Vishnu. Do not forget that I am Adityan, a warrior in the Chozha army.”
Vishnurayan smiled, giving the prince a nod. “I hope you do not mind, Your Majesty! I thought it is best that no one, not even the princess, knew of your real identity. I did not have much of an opportunity to tell you everything about the situation here. But the princess’s life is unsafe till the time she is publicly declared the Queen of Kongunadu.”
“That is exactly what I wanted to speak to you about. But before that, I think it is best that you do not address me as Your Majesty. Is that clear?” When the servant nodded, Vijayendran continued, “What time does the queen take up residence in the throne room?”
Vishnurayan’s dark eyes lit up with mischief. “Not until the noon hour, My Lord!”
“Perfect! In that case, I will go along with you whenever you are ready to leave, Vishnu. Are you finished with your duty here?”
The servant nodded. “Yes, My Lord!”
“Do you think it will be safe for the princess to be here without either of us guarding her?” asked Vijayendran, a frown drawing his thick eyebrows together.
“Anagha is already here and is with the princess, My Lord! And so is Manu. He is not completely healed, but was insistent on going to his mistress early in the morning. I believe he was about to break out of his cage until Selvan had no choice but to bring him up to the princess’s chamber.”
The prince laughed softly, a gentle expression on his face as he thought of Manu. “Excellent! I must congratulate you on that, Vishnu. There could not be a better guard for the princess than Manu.”
Unable to keep the worry from showing at the back of his eyes, Vishnurayan gave a nod. “I have to agree with you, My Lord! Manu is a blessing from Siva Perumaan himself.”
“Shall we leave then?” asked Vijayendran, reaching over for his leather belt and strapping it around his waist before placing his dagger in the sheath attached to the belt. Quickly stepping into his leather footwear, he walked out of his suite along with Vishnurayan.
The two of them went to the stable where the prince had Kethu saddled before taking his reins and stepping out. “What about you, Vishnu? Do you have a horse or will you be walking home?”
“I will walk, My Lord!”
“How far is your home?”
“About five miles from here, My Lord!” He gave Vijayendran a sidelong glance, surprised to see him still standing beside his prancing horse. Did the prince plan to walk all the way with him?
As for Vijayendran, he was surprised to hear what the servant had to say. Could not the royals afford to give their loyal servant a horse to ride back and forth from his home? He could not help recalling the multi-course dinner served on golden plates with wine flowing like water. Marthanda Bhupathi had got so drunk that he had had to be carried home. Incredible!
Was Princess Chamundeswari aware of the situation? He was not to know that Chamundeswari had insisted many times that Vishnurayan and his wife should use horses to travel to work. But the servant had been adamant. Vishnurayan did not want to draw attention to himself or his wife. The queen or her brother were not to know that they were privileged in the princess’s eyes.
And it was not as if they were the only two subjects of Kongunadu who led a poor life. Almost all the citizens, except for a few nobles and ministers who were favoured by the royals, lived in abject poverty.
“My Lord! You are welcome to my home. Shall I give you the directions? You can ride along a bit later. I will reach by then,” said Vishnurayan.
“Let me do something better yet. Wait here for me.” Going back to the stable, the prince handed Kethu’s reins to the stablemaster and said, “Get someone to take my horse for a ride. I feel like taking a walk today.” Not waiting to notice the stablemaster’s dropping jaw, Vijayendran walked back to Vishnurayan and said, “Let us go.”
Vishnurayan had a difficult time holding back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. My princess is truly lucky to have the Chozha prince to guard her. Prince Vijayendran was not just courageous and wise, but so considerate of people too. On the way, the servant told the prince about the twin murders of King Someshwara Thevar and his wife Queen Srivalli, leaving Princess Chamundeswari an orphan at the tender age of four.
“The palace was razed to the ground; the fire having allowed nothing to survive. At least a hundred people—servants and sentries and a few ministers—also perished that night in the fire. We—the princess, Anagha and I—returned to find nothing but smoke and ashes. That was nothing, My Lord, compared to the remorseless behaviour of the present queen and chief minister. They went on with their lives as if nothing had happened. That the princess’s life had been turned upside down, along with the people, did not seem to matter to them one small bit.” Vishnurayan felt his heart burn while his stomach churned with fury. He had carried the poison of vengeance in his system for thirteen long years, his frustration knowing no bounds as he kept biding the right time. Meeting the Chozha prince and acquiring his support had been a major boon towards achieving his goal.
“Do they mistreat the people of the region?” asked Vijayendran, his throat moving up and down as he tried to grapple with the shock of the little Chamundeswari who had lost her loving parents at such a young age. He felt a strong urge to throttle the villainous brother and sister with his bare hands. If the princess had survived all this long, it was all thanks to Vishnurayan and his wife. That much was obvious to him.
“Mistreat is a mild word, My Lord! It is not that they abuse them physically. But the taxes they levy are enough to suck the lifeblood out of the citizens. All the children of the farmers, blacksmiths, soldiers, the palace servants and the shopkeepers—everyone used to get an opportunity to be trained in different kinds of vocations; anything that interested them. But that was during the time of Raja Someshwara Thevar. All that came to an abrupt end once Queen Naganandini took over the ruling of Kongunadu. Of course, I do not even know if she is fully aware of the state the kingdom is in. It is the chief minister who makes all the decisions. He runs the kingdom while she simply signs on every document which he brings to her. Each time he has a new rule passed, it is the people who suffer.” Vishnurayan’s face was red with anger as he poured his heart out to the prince. All these years, he had never had anyone with whom he could share about the troubles in his kingdom.
“What are these children doing now?” asked Vijayendran, his blood boiling with temper on behalf of the citizens of Kongunadu.
“Some help their fathers in the market place; some have joined the army. You saw Velan, My Lord! He is barely sixteen. It is only because of the people’s big hearts that no one is begging on the streets.” The adversity had brought the citizens of Kongunadu close to one another. While they did not have the courage to openly thwart the queen or the chief minister, they helped each other. No one went hungry in Kongunadu; no thanks to the royals.
Vijayendran drew a long sigh. Something had to be done about all this and the sooner the better. “Listen, Vishnu. I have an idea. And I think as Princess Chamundeswari’s guardian, it is you whose opinion I seek regarding this matter. After all, you and Anagha have been like the parents the princess had lost in the fire. You…”
Vishnurayan jumped back, completely shocked as he looked at the young man walking beside him. “My Lord! We are mere servants. That we are loyal to the princess is a fact. But that cannot elevate us to the status of her parents, the late king and queen.” Tears ran down the man’s cheeks even as his voice shook with emotion.
Vijayendran smiled, taking Vishnurayan’s hands in his. “This is not just what I think, Vishnu. This is exactly what Chamundeswari believes. But listen, I need to speak to you about something else. Something, I hope, you will believe is the best for the princess.”
“Yes, My Lord!” Vishnurayan quickly wiped his face with the edge of the towel he had tied around his waist before eyeing the prince eagerly.
“What do think of the idea of Princess Chamundeswari taking me for her husband?” asked Vijayendran, his stance confident as he looked back at the loyal servant with a wide smile on his handsome face.
“My Lord!” Vishnurayan was astounded at the prince’s suggestion. “My Lord!” He was speechless with joy and gratitude. “Do you mean it, My Lord?”
Vijayendran laughed. “You know me by reputation, Vishnu. Is that not why you sought me out to safeguard your princess?” Vishnurayan nodded vigorously before the prince continued, “So? Do we have your blessings?” he asked the older man.
The servant took a few steps back to fall down to the floor in a shashtanga namaskaram in front of Vijayendran. Placing his hands on the prince’s feet, Vishnurayan said, “It is we, the people of Kongunadu, who are blessed, Your Majesty! That the Chozha prince himself is ready to marry our princess! Princess Chamundeswari is lucky indeed! Thank you so much, Your Majesty! I cannot think of a better husband for my little one.”
Vijayendran bent down to place his hands on the servant’s shoulders and lifted him up to stand beside him. “That was not necessary, Vishnu. And believe me when I say that it is not just Chamundeswari who is lucky. I am also blessed to have the rebel princess as my life partner. Do you not agree with me?”
Laughter and tears vied with each other on the loyal servant’s face before the former won. “If you will not deem me arrogant, My Lord?” He looked at the prince’s face and seeing him nod, he continued, “I completely agree with you.”
The prince threw back his head to laugh out loud just as they reached the market place. “What do you say that we go to a rest house and see if they have something for us to break our fast with?”
Vishnurayan was in a dither as he squirmed next to the prince. He could not imagine breaking his fast at Prince Vijayendra Chozhan’s side.
The prince read the servant’s mind only too clearly. “What? How different is it from the dinner we shared the evening before last at the Pachamalai Forest camp?” asked the prince, giving the servant no choice but to go along with him to the boarding house.
It was not long before they sat down to a sumptuous meal along with a number of workmen and travellers who had arrived there for the same purpose. There was dosai from varagu arisi—pancakes made with the batter of kodo millet—cooked on an iron skillet and served along with karuveppilai inji thuvaiyal—a thick chutney made of fresh curry leaves and ginger; and mohana kalavai—a sambar of sorts. There was sweet panniyam made from kambu—pearl millet—and jaggery extracted from sugarcane. There were both panakam—a sweet concoction of jaggery flavoured with cardamom and dry ginger—and neer moru—thin butter milk flavoured with curry leaves, ginger and rock salt.
Vijayendran had three helpings of the buttermilk served in small pots, relishing every drop.
And he had a good time doing what he liked best, people watching. The observant prince could not help but notice that most of the locals wore clothes that were neatly washed but were definitely old, some even ragged. Their faces were lined with worry, making them appear older than they probably were.
It was time to bring about a radical change to the kingdom of Kongunadu, it seemed. And who better than the soon-to-be queen who was going to wed none other than a Chozha prince?
With that thought firmly entrenched in his mind, Vijayendran got up to go to the back of the boarding house to wash his hands next to the well. Some of the women drawing water from it stared at him in obvious admiration, bringing a smile to Vijayendran’s face. Lifting his hand in a wave, he walked back inside the boarding house and left from the front, after taking his leave of Vishnurayan.
Time to present his marriage proposal for Princess Chamundeswari’s hand to her stepmother. He was prepared for all hell to break loose and was even looking forward to it to some extent. The queen and her brother were begging to be brought down a peg or two.
What neither Prince Vijayendra Chozhan nor Vishnurayan could foresee was the cunning with which Marthanda Bhupathi had set up his plans for the princess.
