Pazhuvetarayar laughed. He laughed lightly, as though mocking Nandini’s words, but not so much as to seem openly derisive. Yet, the sound of his laughter made the chamber itself, and all the objects within it, tremble in fear. When he heard Nandini declare that she herself would take up a knife and slay those who had insulted him, a surge of pride welled up in his heart. To know that Nandini cared so deeply for the preservation of his honor filled Pazhuvetarayar with a sense of iron strength. In that same spirit, a desire arose within him to hear her speak further, to listen to her words. Yet, at the same time, another part of him wished to show that he did not approve of her speaking in such a manner.

“Why do you laugh, my lord? Do you laugh at my words out of disbelief?” she asked.

“Devi! I laughed to imagine how your hands, soft as the petals of the mandara flower, could ever wield a knife. And besides, while I am alive, with these two long arms of mine—”

“My lord! I know well the greatness and strength of your arms. Arms long as an elephant’s trunk, arms strong as Indra’s thunderbolt. Arms that have felled thousands of enemies on the battlefield, arms that have set the jeweled crown upon the heads of Chola emperors. But all that is of no consequence today. The time has come when children born just yesterday mock you as an ‘old man.’ You, who must now sit quietly, bound by your devotion to the Chola clan, like a serpent king held captive by a magician’s spell. My hands are but soft hands adorned with bangles. Yet, because I have taken the hand of a hero such as you, before the sacred fire, a little strength has come to my hands as well. If the need arises to protect my chastity or to uphold my husband’s honor, even my hands will find the strength to wield a knife. Look here…!” said Nandini.

With those words, she moved the chest that lay at the foot of the bed out into the open. She opened it and pushed aside the clothes that lay on top. From the bottom, she carelessly drew out a long sword, gleaming with a dazzling light, and held it aloft above her head with one hand.

Pazhuvetaraiyar stood for a moment, astonished by what he saw.

Then he asked, “How long has this sword been inside this chest? I thought you kept your clothes and ornaments here?”

Nandini placed the sword back into the chest and replied, “Yes; I do keep my clothes and ornaments in this chest. But among all my ornaments, this sword is the most important. It is meant to protect my chastity and my husband’s honor.”

“But there will never be a need for you to use this, as long as I am alive!”

“That is precisely why I never take this sword out. From Eezham