The moment Vandiyathevan saw the younger Pazhuvetarayar, he stopped fighting and walked towards him. The guards sprang up, rushed over, and seized him. But he paid them no heed, striding four steps forward and declaring, “Commander! You have arrived at just the right moment. These wretched thieves have not only stolen my belongings, but also tried to kill me! Is this how a guest is to be treated? Is this the custom of Thanjavur? I am not merely your guest, but also the guest of the Emperor; you yourself heard what the Empress commanded! I am the messenger who has come with a letter from the Crown Prince. If this is how they treat someone like me, what would they do to others? I am astonished that you keep such thieves in your employ. In our Thondai region, such rogues would be thrown into the river without a second thought, and we would get on with our business!” he rained down his words in a torrent.

The amazement at the young man who had, single-handedly, thrown down three warriors at once had not yet left Pazhuvetarayar’s mind. His desire to recruit such a brave soul into his own guard grew even stronger. Therefore, in a calm voice, he said, “Wait, my boy! Wait! I do not think they would have done all that you accuse them of. Let me question them and see!”

“That is all I ask! Question them; deliver justice! Arrange for my clothes and belongings to be returned to me!” said Vallavarayan.

“Hey! Leave that boy and come here!” the Commander thundered at his men. “What did I tell you? And what have you done? Why did you lay hands on him?”

“Master! We did exactly as you commanded. We bathed him in oil, dressed him in new clothes and ornaments, gave him a feast of six flavors, and brought him to the Hall of Paintings. He spent some time looking at the paintings there. Suddenly, he demanded his old clothes. Then, without warning, he began to attack us!” explained one of the warriors.

“Did three strong men fall at the hands of a mere child?” he exclaimed, his eyes blazing like embers of blood.

“Master! We thought he was a royal guest of the palace. Now, please grant us permission; we will finish him off at once.”

“Enough of your heroic exploits! Cease this at once! Young man!... What do you have to say?”

“I say, grant them permission. And grant me permission as well. It has been some days since I fought the enemies of the Chola clan. My shoulders are growing dull. Let me teach these palace guards a lesson in how to treat guests!” declared our valiant hero.

Chinna Pazhuvettarayar smiled and said, “Young man! Reserve your strength for the true enemies of the Cholas! With the Emperor lying ill, brawling and commotion within the walls of Tanjore fort will serve no good purpose. That is my command!”

“In that case, order them to bring my clothes and belongings at once!”

“Where are they?”

“Master! As per your orders, we have kept them safe.”

“Commander! See how these fellows twist their words! Just now, they said they had sent the clothes to be washed. Now they claim to have kept them ‘safe’ as per your instructions. If you let them go on, they might even crown you as the king of thieves!” said Vandiyathevan.

The commander looked at the guards and said, “Fools! I only told you to give this youth new clothes, nothing more. I never said a word about his old ones! These idiots are babbling nonsense, young man! Let it go—why are you so concerned about your old clothes? Did you have something valuable hidden in them?”

“Yes; I had some gold coins for travel expenses…” Vandiyathevan began, but before he could finish, Pazhuvettarayar said, “Don’t worry about that. I will give you as much gold as you need for your journey!”

“Commander! I am the messenger of Prince Karikalan. It is not my custom to stretch out my hand and accept money from others…”

“In that case, I shall have your garments and the gold coins within them returned to you. Do not worry! There was nothing else in your clothing, was there?”

Vallavarayan paused for a moment in thought. Chinna Pazhuvettarayar noticed this hesitation.

“There is another important item in the cloth tied around my waist. I believe your men would not have touched it. If they had, they would have been lost!”

“Aha! How angry you become! See here, you speak as if you have forgotten to whom you are talking. I forgive you, thinking you are but a child; but what is this item?”

“Commander! I cannot say. It is a confidential matter.”

“There can be no secret within the walls of Thanjai fort that I do not know!”

“It is a confidential matter entrusted to me by Prince Karikalan.”

“The prince is the lord of the northern lands. His authority extends only north of the River Paalar. Here, it is the Emperor’s rule that prevails.”

“Commander! Wherever the tiger flag flies, it is the Emperor’s authority that reigns. What doubt is there in that?”

“That is why I say, there can be no secret within this fort unknown to me. It is only for the Emperor’s safety!”

“Commander! The Chola Empire owes a debt of gratitude to you and the great Pazhuvettarayar for protecting the Emperor with such vigilance. Today, I too heard the Emperor praise you. Did he not say that even Yama himself hesitates to enter Thanjai fort out of fear for you? What a weighty statement that is!”

“Yes, brother! Had we not brought the Emperor here from Pazhayarai and kept him under strict guard, who knows what calamity might have befallen all these days? Perhaps the plot of the Pandya conspirators would have succeeded.”

“Ah! Even you speak thus! Then what I have heard must indeed be true!”

“What have you