The Loyal Servant’s Glee
Everything seemed to happen rapidly after that. The next morning, the emperor and his group settled in their tents not far from the entrance to the Azhagapuri fortress.
“I think you should remain with us, my child,” said Viramadevi. She had instructions from her husband to keep the princess with her, always. They had decided not to send Princess Chamundeswari into her own fort until her husband was released and the enemies had been stripped of their powers.
Velan, who had taken a detour—within a few naazhigais of leaving Thanjavur—when he got to know that the emperor had left his capital to travel towards Azhagapuri; had met them on their way to Kongunadu; handing Adityan’s missive to his half-brother.
The emperor had read the message with a deep scowl drawing his thick eyebrows together. Well, it looked like both he and his brother had been thinking along the same lines—to show the Chozha might to the queen and chief minister of Kongunadu.
Murugan walked to the fort gate, his mandate clear. “I am Murugan, a messenger from Emperor Rajendra Chozhan. I am to deliver it to Queen Naganandini of Kongunadu.”
A sentry opened the gate to let Murugan in. After all, who had the audacity to stop the Chozha emperor’s messenger?
“Go on inside, man. You ride for one kaadha dooram, you will come to a palace. The queen lives there.”
Murugan nodded, touching his shoes to his horse’s flanks and rode the distance as fast as he could. Getting off his horse at the palace gates, he walked up to the entrance. “I need an audience with Queen Naganandini,” he said to the tall sentry at the gate.
“And who might you be?” asked Vishnurayan, glaring at the visitor. He had had a chance to meet Adityan in the prison and had not been happy to see the Chozha prince sitting on the stone floor, eating food from an iron plate while the imposter dined with the queen and chief minister. Was he glad that that bastard had a limp now! Good for the princess, that she had stabbed the man, so deeply too.
“I am Murugan, Maharaja Rajendra Chozhan’s messenger,” said the visitor.
“What? Did you mention the Chozha Maharaja?” There was instant excitement in Vishnurayan’s face. “Did you travel all the way from Thanjavur?” he asked, his words a whisper as he looked around them to check if anyone was listening.
“Might you be Vishnurayan?” asked Murugan.
“Huh? How did you know?” asked the loyal servant, thoroughly surprised.
Murugan grinned. “I heard the princess sing your praises to the Maharaja and Maharani. You are the only man who has a worried expression on your face. So, I guessed you must be the princess’s loyal servant.”
“But… I do not understand. How could the princess have reached Thanjavur so fast?” Vishnurayan gave the man a suspicious glance.
Murugan grinned some more. “The Maharaja wanted to meet his half-brother, Prince Vijayendra Chozhan. And he was already travelling towards Azhagapuri. The princess reached our camp yesterday evening itself.”
“Where is she now? And the Maharaja and Maharani?” asked Vishnurayan eagerly.
“They have set up camp right across the gate to this fort. Forces will be joining us soon. But wait, I need to meet the queen of Kongunadu. I have a message for her.”
“And why not?” asked Vishnurayan. “I will personally take you to her. Before I forget, did the princess’s pet tiger accompany her?”
Murugan gave a loud sigh, a hand to his forehead. “But of course. The tiger had followed Her Highness all the way to the forest, without her knowledge it seems.”
Vishnurayan shook his head. “I came to know all about it, after the event. Now come along. I will take you to Queen Naganandini.” He walked into the throne room, bending low down to his waist, saying, “Your Highness, a messenger is here from the court of Maharaja Rajendra Chozhan.”
Queen Naganandini shuddered, turning to look at Paranthaman who was posing as the Chozha prince. Well, there was no need to tell the messenger who the guest was, was there?
“Vanakam Arasiyaare!” Murugan bent low to his waist. “Maharaja Rajendra Chozhan sends his greetings to the Queen of Kongunadu. He has a message for you. His brother, Prince Vijayendra Aditya Chozhan, is visiting your country. The Maharaja would like you to send His Highness Prince Vijayendran to meet the Maharaja at the camp he has set up outside Azhagapuri.”
The queen leaped up from her throne to stand straight, stiff as a board. “What are you saying, man? Is the Maharaja camped outside our fortress?”
“That is right, Your Highness!” responded Murugan.
“Vishnu, go and get the chief minister, immediately,” said the queen, visibly nervous. As for Paranthaman, he was quaking in his shoes. As it is, he was still not fully recovered from his recent accident, having stepped out of his quarters only because the queen had insisted. He was walking around with the help of a stick. What if everyone came to know that he was not the true prince of Chozha Nadu?
Princess Chamundeswari had gone for a ride yesterday morning and seemed to have disappeared. Or that is what Queen Naganandini had told him. As for his father, the Senapati; and the chief minister, the two men were ensconced in the latter’s palace, trying to come up with an alternate plan. If the people got to know that their beloved princess was missing, they were capable of burning down the fort.
And here was the Maharaja of Chozha Nadu, right outside Azhagapuri. How did he get to know that Prince Vijayendra Chozhan was visiting Kongunadu? After all, it was only an imposter who was visiting. Should the real prince not be elsewhere?
Vishnurayan had a satisfied grin on his face as he stepped out of the throne room to rush towards the chief minister’s palace. Wiping the grin off his face, he knocked on the door, entering when a servant let him in.
“I need to meet the chief minister on an urgent matter. Queen Naganandini sent me.”
The servant went in to seek Bhupathi’s permission before letting Vishnurayan into the mandiralosanai hall, where the political meetings always took place. “This had better be important, Vishnu. Or I might have your head. What does the queen want?” barked the chief minister, glaring at the palace servant.
“My Lord! Maharaja Rajendra Chozhan is camped outside our fort. He has sent a messenger to the queen. And that is why she asked you to…”
“Fool! Why did you not tell me immediately?” Bhupathi jumped from his seat as fast as his bulk would allow him. “You must also come with me, Pandiyan,” he called over his shoulder to the commander-in-chief before walking out of his palace as he rushed to meet his sister.
Pandiyan was gnashing his teeth in abject frustration as he followed the chief minister at a more sedate pace. The whole fort had been turned upside down as a search had been held for the princess. It was surprising that no one could find where she was. The stablemaster had informed, when he was asked, that the princess had had Rahu saddled and gone for a ride in the morning. No one had missed her until lunch time when she had not turned up for the meal.
The queen had had no clue, nor had Anagha, the maid. “Her Highness said she wanted to go for a ride. When I offered to accompany her, she insisted that she wanted to go alone,” said Anagha, staring at the floor.
Pandiyan was ready to climb the walls by the evening. Where was the princess? Oh, how he wished she had perished in the fire along with her blasted parents, all those years ago.
Just now, he stepped inside the throne room to stand next to the chief minister.
“Bhupathi, I am so glad you could come at such short notice. This is the messenger from the Maharaja. He says…” the queen paused, too shaken by now to be coherent. “Tell the chief minister what you said to me, just now,” she ordered Murugan.
Murugan repeated his missive to the chief minister. Bhupathi and Pandiyan stared at each other in horror. Who did the Maharaja think was visiting them? His own half-brother? Bhupathi was hard put not to slap his forehead in frustration.
But he could not stand around and do nothing. Turning to the messenger, he said, “You may go. We will get back to the Maharaja as soon as possible.”
“The emperor left me with clear instructions, My Lord. Could you please confirm that the prince is visiting your kingdom? If he is, may I meet His Highness?”
The few other guards and servants who were hovering around turned to look at the messenger in surprise. Could he not see that the prince was seated right there next to the queen?
Vishnurayan could not resist speaking. “Can you not see your prince sitting there?” he asked the messenger, lowering his laughing gaze to the floor.
The four of them—Naganandini, Bhupathi, Pandiyan and Paranthaman—looked at Vishnurayan in horror. No one could blame the servant for believing only what they had themselves told everyone—that Paranthaman was the Prince of Chozha Nadu.
“Where?” asked Murugan, turning to his left and right before giving Vishnurayan a puzzled glance.
Vishnurayan stepped further into the throne room and pinned Paranthaman with his sharp gaze. “Your Highness, Prince Vijayendra Chozhan! Your brother, the Maharaja, is waiting to meet you outside the fort. Do you want to send him a message that you have been hurt?” asked the loyal servant, with faked compassion in his voice.
Paranthaman turned pale with horror as he glared at the loyal servant. But he refused to open his mouth as he waited for his father or maybe even the chief minister to rescue him from the situation.
Murugan was more perplexed than ever as he turned his head from Vishnurayan to the man he addressed as the Chozha prince and back again. “There is some kind of a confusion, I think. That man is not Prince Vijayendra Chozhan,” said Murugan, his voice ringing clearly in the throne room. So much so, that at least ten servants had heard him clearly.
Pandiyan cracked his knuckles in pure frustration. This is exactly the situation he had wanted to avoid. This was also why he had been keen on the marriage between Paranthaman and Chamundeswari taking place as soon as possible.
But now, everyone in the palace, and soon, maybe the whole fort, will get to know that the Chozha prince who was visiting them was an imposter. Damn it!
Bhupathi’s face was stony while his mind ran around in circles as he tried to come up with a plan. How he wished the emperor had sent his messenger from Thanjavur and not from just outside Azhagapuri? He had not much time to come up with a new plan.
“Do you not have anyone else visiting your palace, Your Highness?” asked Murugan, looking up at the queen. “Our prince sometimes goes under an alias.”
Everyone turned to stare at the messenger, feeling more confused than ever. “And what would that alias be?” asked Pandiyan rudely.
“Our prince is also known by the name of Adityan,” said Murugan in a proud voice.
Before anyone could even absorb the meaning of his words, Vishnurayan spoke in an excited voice. “Adityan, you say? You are right, my man. We do have a visitor from Thanjavur, who goes by that name. He said he is a warrior in the Chozha troops.”
Murugan smiled at the servant. “That would be the prince. And yes, he is a great warrior and has fought many battles at the emperor’s side. May I meet him?”
It was a wonder that neither Pandiyan nor Bhupathi sank to the floor as their legs trembled pathetically. Not wanting to let on that they had been foolish enough to arrest the real Prince Vijayendra Chozhan, Bhupathi turned to glare at Vishnurayan. “You know where Adityan is. Go and bring him immediately,” he ordered.
“But, My Lord! Will they let me…” Vishnurayan bowed before the chief minister, his heart dancing with glee.
“I will go along with you,” said Pandiyan. After all, the prison guards will let go of the royal prisoner only if the Senapati instructed them to do so.
