Did not the young princess Kundavai Devi and the Kodumbalur princess Vanathi ascend the chariot and set out towards the city of Kudanthai? After that, should we not learn a little of what the women in the boat spoke and did?

“Hey, Tharagai! Look at the fortune that has come to this girl from Kodumbalur! Why is our young princess so fond of her?” said one.

“There is no fondness, nothing of the sort, Varini! For the past four months, that girl has been behaving strangely, almost as if she’s possessed by madness. She keeps fainting and falling down. The princess is worried because Vanathi, a girl without father or mother, has been entrusted to her care. That’s why she took Vanathi to the astrologer, to find out what has come over her! What if it’s some mischief of spirits or ghosts? If so, shouldn’t some spell or incantation be performed to drive them away?” replied Tharagai.

“There are no spirits or ghosts here! What ghost would dare possess her? She herself could chase away a hundred ghosts!” retorted Varini.

“Even Vanathi’s fainting spells are nothing but a pretense! She thinks that by doing all this, she can slowly ensnare the prince in her net!” said another.

“Niravathi speaks the truth! And not just that! Remember the other day, when she dropped the lamp tray? She did that just to catch his attention! Would a tray held with both hands slip and fall so easily? And is our prince a tiger or a bear, that she should be so frightened at the sight of him?” said Varini.

“And then she immediately pretended to faint! How cunning one must be to do that?” added Niravathi.

“More than her tricks, the real wonder is that both Kundavai Devi and the prince were taken in by them!” said Sendhru.

“These are times for liars, tricksters, magicians, and illusionists to thrive!” declared Mandakini. “After the prince set out for war, he turned back to look at this Vanathi before he left—what more could she want? Do you see now how far her enchantment has worked?” said Varini.

“That’s nothing; the prince is a man of such noble character. If a maiden faints and falls, would he just walk away without so much as a glance? Don’t read too much into it!” replied Tharagai.

“What you say about the prince is true. Who else in all the fourteen worlds could possess such virtue as he? Not even in stories or epics can one find his equal. But that’s not what I mean. This girl—this Vanathi—she fainted, but do you know what kind of faint it was? There was no need to consult an astrologer to find out. Had she asked me, I would have told her myself!” said Varini.

“What kind of faint was it? Tell us, at least!” asked Sendhru.

Varini whispered something into Sendhru’s ear.

“What secret did she tell you? Are we not to know?” demanded Niravathi.

“It seems it wasn’t an ordinary faint! It was a lovesick swoon!” said Sendhru.

At once, everyone burst into laughter. Hearing their mirth, the birds perched on the riverside trees flapped their wings noisily and flew away.

“When our prince returns from Lanka, this girl will try her magic powder on him again. We must be careful not to give her the chance!” said Niravathi.

“If, before the prince returns, this Vanathi doesn’t go mad and start raving, then my name is not Tharagai; I’ll change it to Thadakai!” declared Tharagai.

“Let that be! Shouldn’t we finish what the young princess asked us to do before he returns? Come on, girls,” said Mandakini.

Then, two of the girls lifted a plank that had already been loosened at the bottom of the boat. In the hollow beneath, shaped like a long chest, lay a crocodile! That is, the stuffed body of a dead crocodile, its insides packed with cotton and fiber, fashioned into a lifelike model. They brought it out and placed it on the bank. Rowing the boat a little further, they reached the riverside, near a great tree whose roots jutted out in thick tangles. There, at the edge of the tree, they set down the crocodile. Half-buried among the roots and half-submerged in the river’s flood, it lay there. To behold it was to be struck with terror, for it looked exactly like a real crocodile. To prevent the current from carrying it away, they had tied one of its legs with a thin silk cord and fastened it securely to the roots. The cord was tied in such a way that it remained hidden beneath the water, invisible from above.

“Why, Mandakini, did the Young Princess ask for this crocodile doll to be tied under the tree like this?” asked Tharagai.

“Don’t you know? Vanathi is terribly afraid of crocodiles, isn’t she? This is to rid her of that fear and make her brave!” replied Mandakini.

“Looking at everything together, it seems Kundavai Devi intends to have Vanathi married to the Prince!” said Niravathi.

“If such a thing is even spoken of, I’ll give this Vanathi poison and kill her. Just watch!” said Varini, her voice sharp with jealousy.

“There’s no reason for you to be so upset. The twin emperors of Maniya Keda, the king of Vengi, the king of Kalinga, and even the emperor of distant Kannosi in the north are all waiting to offer their daughters to our prince! In that case, who would set their sights on this Kodumbalur Vanathi?” said Mandakini.

“Those kings may be waiting, as you say! But isn’t the prince’s own wish what matters most? I’ve heard that the prince always says, ‘If ever I marry, I’ll wed a girl from Tamil Nadu!’ Don’t you all know this?” said Senthiru.

“If that’s the case, all is well. Then we must each show off our own skills, mustn’t we? Is there anything Vanathi can accomplish that we cannot? Don’t we too possess the same magic