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