Hearing the accusation that Kandhamaaran, his dear friend, leveled against Vandiyathevan, Aditya Karikalan burst into thunderous laughter, his whole body shaking as if struck by lightning.

“Kandhamaaran! Are you saying that Vandiyathevan stabbed you in the back? Why, then, did you turn your back to him?” he asked, and once again began to laugh uncontrollably, his laughter echoing through the hall.

Kandhamaaran’s dark face flushed red; his eyes glistened like ripe kovai fruit, and his lips trembled with agitation.

“My lord! Do you consider this something to laugh about?” he asked.

“Kandhamaaran! Are you saying I should not laugh? Laughter is a divine gift bestowed upon humans by the gods. The cow does not laugh; the goat does not laugh; the horse does not laugh; the lion does not laugh; even monkeys, who delight in mischief and play, do not laugh. Only those born as humans can laugh. And yet, you tell me I should not laugh? It has been so long since I laughed like this, my friend! Even I am surprised to hear the sound of my own laughter now. And you say I should not laugh in your presence?” said Aditya Karikalan.

“My lord! I am glad to see you laugh and rejoice. But do not laugh thinking that I turned my back on this treacherous scoundrel. At an unexpected moment, he stabbed me from behind while hiding. Only by the grace of Goddess Durga and the loving care of Nandini Devi did I survive and rise again. I ask you to investigate this act of betrayal and render justice. Or else, grant me the authority to punish him myself, here and now!” Kandhamaaran said.

“My friend! I will certainly investigate and render justice. There has never been a time when someone came to the kings of the Sembiyan lineage seeking justice and was denied it. Did not our ancestor Sibi, the first king of our line, cut his own flesh into pieces to render justice to a dove? Did not Manu Needhi Cholan, of our clan, sacrifice his own son to grant justice to a cow? You are no less than the dove or the cow. I will not deny you justice. Be patient until I have questioned him! Vallavaraiyan! Before you continue with the other details of your journey…” “It would be best if you gave a reply to Kandhamaaran’s accusation. What do you say? Is it true that you stabbed him from behind? If so, why did you commit such a cowardly, ignoble act, so unworthy of a warrior? For what reason did you do it?” he asked.

“Prince! I did not stab this mighty warrior; I did not stab him in the back; I did not, from a place of hiding, strike him from behind. When he was stabbed in the back and lay unconscious in a pool of blood, I lifted him onto my shoulders and carried him to Sendhan Amudhan’s house, where I saved his life. But now, I regret having saved his life. I am remorseful that I did not strike him in the chest and finish him off. Out of regard for friendship, I neglected the duty I owed to my king. My lord! He called me a betrayer of friendship. But he is not just a betrayer of friendship; he is a traitor to his master. Ask him where and under what circumstances he was stabbed in the back! Ask him whom he led through the secret tunnel of the Thanjavur fort into the palace of the Pazhuvettaraiyar, and then returned! Ask him whom he saw that night in the treasure vault of the great Pazhuvettaraiyar! Ask him what happened in his Kadambur mansion on the eighteenth day of the month of Aadi, on the day of the flood! Ask him who it was that came there, hidden in a closed palanquin!”

At this, Kandhamaaran’s body trembled, his tongue faltered. “You wretched fellow! Stop your lies! Or else, you’ll be fodder for this spear!” he shouted, seizing the spear in his hand.

Aditya Karikalan was astonished at Kandhamaaran’s agitation. He snatched the spear from Kandhamaaran’s hand and, with his iron-like arms, bent the shaft. The spear snapped with a crack. Karikalan flung both pieces far away and said, “Beware! I cannot stand by and watch my friends fight before my eyes… Parthibendran! If either of them picks up a spear or sword again, it is your duty to imprison him at once!”

Immediately, Vandiyathevan took the sword he carried and handed it to Parthibendran. Parthibendran, though reluctantly, accepted the sword. “Kandhamaaran! Vallavaraiyan has answered your accusation. I will investigate the truth of it in due course and pronounce my judgment. Are you going to answer the questions he has asked?” Karikalan demanded.

Kandhamaaran, stumbling and stammering, swallowed with difficulty and said, “Ayya! I have sworn an oath never to speak of those matters to anyone.”

Now Parthibendran interjected, “Sire! It seems that these two are accusing each other of something concerning a woman. Therefore, it would be best to question them separately and learn the truth!”

“Yes, Parthiba! I too think the same. All three of you have fallen into the enchantment of the Young Queen of Pazhuvoor, each in your own way. That is why you are now trying to devour one another!” said Karikalan, and laughed again.

Parthibendran’s face twisted in displeasure; he said, “Prince! It appears that today you have resolved to treat every serious matter lightly and with laughter. Very well, I too shall say what I must. I have many suspicions regarding this Vandiyathevan. I will mention only the most important one now. It was to save him from a burning ship that your beloved younger brother leapt into the stormy sea in the midst of a raging tempest. After that, Ponniyin Selvan was never seen again. Only this fellow, like a wild tamarind seed, has sprouted here without a scratch. Ask him what happened to your brother. If the sea has claimed