At the place where the boat was now gliding, the banks of the canal rose high on either side. At the spot Poonguzhali pointed out, a bathing ghat pavilion could be seen on the edge of the canal. At the spot where the steps ended and the mandapam began, two Nandi statues stood on either side. Those statues of Nandi, crafted with exquisite workmanship and vibrant life, can be admired even today. It was because of the prominence of these sculptures that the pavilion had come to be known as the “Nandi Mandapam.” Once a year, during the spring festival, it was customary for the presiding deities of Thirunagikkaronam—Kayarogana Swami and Neelayadakshi Amman—to visit this pavilion and be ceremoniously seated in state. At that time, crowds of people would gather here in throngs. After witnessing the festival, they would partake in a moonlit feast before returning home. Since the pavilion stood a little distance from the city, on ordinary days, few people visited this place.

The boat drew near the mandapam. After seeing the two women standing there, the prince’s gaze and attention turned to nothing else. As the boat approached, the young princess Kundavai descended the steps and came down to the lower landing. Vanathi, meanwhile, stood in the pavilion itself, half-hidden and half-revealed behind a pillar.

The boat came to a halt near the bathing steps. To help the prince disembark, Sendhan Amudhan from the boat and the young princess from the steps both extended their hands.

Sendhan Amudhan and Poonguzhali then rowed the boat back a little distance and moored it there.

“Thambi! How thin you have become!” said Kundavai, her mellow voice trembling with tears.

Ponniyin Selvan replied, “Let my body be thin, Akka! But why does your face look so wan? Isn’t it your custom that your face blossoms like a lotus upon seeing me? Why today does a cloud seem to veil the moon of your face? Why are your eyes filled with sorrow? Ah! Many things must have happened to wound your heart and cause you pain. Otherwise, you would not have sent me such an urgent message!” “Yes, my brother! There are so many urgent matters I must tell you; so much I must hear from you. O generous one who refused the golden throne of Lanka! Sit for a moment upon this black stone throne!” she said.

As Ponniyin Selvan sat, he touched his sister’s feet and pressed them to his eyes. Kundavai placed her hand upon his head and kissed his crown. Tears welled up once more in her eyes.

After they both sat down, Kundavai said, “Brother! I should not have summoned you here today. The head of the Chudamani Vihara sent word that your health was fully restored. That is not true; the fever has worn you down. But I could not bear to remain without seeing you. Since coming to Anaimangalam, every moment has passed like an age!”

“Sister! Do not worry about having me come here. Had you not sent the boat, I would have already set out for Pazhaiyarai. Even in the grip of that terrible fever, it was your letter that troubled my mind. Whom did you send that letter with? I have never seen a man as valiant as that Vandiyathevan of the Vanar clan. I tested him in so many ways; he passed them all. Where is he now, sister?”

The cloud that had veiled the moon of Kundavai’s face parted a little. Her coral lips parted in a smile, revealing a row of pearl-like teeth. “Brother! Why worry about him now? There are so many other matters at hand!” she said.

“Why do you speak so, sister? Did he behave in a way that displeased you?”

“No, no! Why should I be displeased? He promised to bring you here, and he has fulfilled that promise…!”

“I am amazed when I think of the clever tricks and cunning stratagems he employed for that. Where is he, sister? When I learned you had come here, I thought surely Vandiyathevan would have come with you. Has not this princess, who faints at the slightest provocation, come as well?”

“You do not know how courageous she has become, brother! Yesterday, the Prime Minister’s elephant lifted her with its trunk and tossed her. It threw her right into my lap in the howdah above. But she does not know it! If only you had seen how brave she was at that moment…”

“Enough, stop praising your friend! Tell me about my companion!”

“What is there to say about him? The task he came for is done. He has already returned to his master, Aditya Karikalan.”

“In that case, he has broken his word. Didn’t he say he would not go to Kanchi, that he would remain here in Chola country?”

“How is that possible? What could he do, staying in Chola country? Even the fate of those who are here is uncertain for tomorrow. If you are so fond of him, you could inform the Emperor and have him restore to your friend the small kingdom once ruled by his ancestors!”

“What would that great hero do with a small kingdom, Akka?”

“He would do what all the other petty kings are doing! You refused the Lankan throne; do you think he too would say no if offered?”

The prince smiled gently. “Akka! I refused the Lanka throne with witnesses present. Even so, my father has ordered that I be brought back under guard, accusing me of treason…”

“Thambi! If you had accepted the throne, there would have been no order to arrest you! You would have been a free king! Who could have imprisoned you then?”

“Should I have acted in such a way, against my father’s wishes?”

“Ponniyin Selva! If you had accepted the Lankan throne, father would have been delighted! He would have divided the remaining Chola empire between your elder brother and Madurantakan, and found peace of mind. Even now, that is