The two friends watched all these events unfold with astonishment and dread. They leapt down from their horses and rushed along the riverbank. By then, the leopard had already swum a little distance into the water! From the way it floated, it seemed as if its life had already departed. No one could tell how badly the two women had been wounded by the beast. Both men plunged into the water and swam towards the ladies.

Vandiyathevan reached Manimekalai first. For he was afraid to approach Nandini. Manimekalai had suffered no injury. Apart from being breathless from plunging into the water at the same moment the leopard fell, nothing else had befallen her! The moment she saw Vandiyathevan coming near, her heart surged with uncontrollable emotion and she closed her eyes tightly.

Karikalan, meanwhile, caught Vandiyathevan by the arm, stopped him, and sent him towards Nandini, then turned to Manimekalai himself. She did not realize this. With both his arms, Karikalan lifted her, held her close, climbed the steps of the bathing ghat, and gently laid her down on the ground above. Until then, she did not open her eyes. Only when Karikalan placed his finger under her nose to check if she was breathing did she slowly open her eyes. As she opened them, she looked at Vandiyathevan with a gaze overflowing with love and longing, wishing to reveal her boundless affection for him. But when she saw that it was Prince Karikalan standing before her, she sprang up and moved aside, sitting a little away.

Karikalan noticed the disappointment that flashed across her face and laughed softly.

“Manimekalai! What is this sudden leap? Why such aversion at the sight of me?” he asked.

“Sir! Shouldn’t a woman feel shy if touched by a man who is not her husband?” replied Manimekalai.

“Girl! Have you made me a stranger? Is not every effort being made to unite you and me in marriage?” said Karikalan. “Swami! Only after that effort succeeds will it become my own, isn’t it? Until then, aren’t you still a stranger to me?” asked Manimekalai.

“But you can at least say whether you wish for it or not, can’t you?”

The Kadambur princess paused to think for a moment, then said, “Ayya! You are a scion of the Chola clan; a man of great wisdom who knows all things. Is it proper for you to speak thus to a young girl like me? Should you not ask my father about this?”

“Child! If your father agrees, will you consent as well?”

“If my father agrees and asks me, I will answer him. I feel shy to speak of such things with you. You saved me from being killed by the tiger, and from drowning in the water. Out of gratitude for that, I have been patient with you all this while…”

Karikalan laughed and said, “Manimekalai! You are a clever girl. Very stubborn, too. But you have been deceived. For that, do not try to deceive me in return!”

“Ayya! What words are these! Would this ignorant girl try to deceive you? For what reason? In what way?”

“Why do you speak in circles for no reason? If, instead of me, Vandiyathevan had carried you to the shore, would you speak so harshly? Was it not thinking it was Vandiyathevan that you closed your eyes? And with the same thought, did you not open your eyes and look? Poor girl! You have been tricked!”

Manimekalai, with a blush, also felt a touch of fear. Then, mustering her courage, she said, “My lord, you already know my heart! If that is so, why do you test this foolish girl?”

“Manimekalai! I know your heart. Likewise, I know the heart of Vallavarayan as well. I think he is not worthy of your pure love. Look there, see how the young queen Nandini and Vandiyathevan converse! See the joy that sits upon Nandini’s face!”

Manimekalai looked in the direction he indicated. At that moment, the poison called jealousy rose up in her milk-pure heart.

At that very moment, Vandiyathevan and Nandini were conversing. On one of Nandini’s shoulders, the tiger’s claw had struck, and blood was oozing forth. Unlike Manimekalai, Nandini did not close her eyes. Nor did she hasten to free herself from Vandiyathevan’s grasp. Vandiyathevan, for his part, as though he were shaking off a burning ember that had scorched his hand, hurriedly set the young queen down upon the riverbank. Though she had been immersed in water, Nandini’s body still seemed to burn with heat.

A nameless fear took hold in Vandiyathevan’s heart. His body trembled. With a smile, Nandini asked, “Ayya! Why are you so agitated? Did you mistake me for the tiger? Or are you regretting that, in your eagerness to save the tiger, you have mistakenly brought me to the shore?”

“Ammani! Please do not speak such cruel words. My heart is somewhat unsettled at the thought that I was compelled to touch and lift you…”

“It is only a guilty heart that is troubled so!”

“Devi! I have committed no crime!”

“No crime? You sought my help to enter the fortress of Thanjavur. I gave you my signet ring and aided you. Then, you stealthily entered my private chambers. Even then, I protected you from harm. And how did you repay me? Without my knowledge, without a word to me, you fled like a thief. After meeting the young princess of Pazhayarai, you promised to return to me. You did not fulfill that promise. Are these not all crimes?”

“I admit to those faults. But each has its reason. I serve others. I am bound by the commands of Aditya Karikalan. If you consider this, you will not accuse me of wrongdoing…”

“Yes, indeed; even to save a woman from a tiger’s jaws, you must have Karikalan’s command. Even to bring a drowning woman to the shore, you need his permission. I was watching you closely. Ah! How agitated the prince was