Manimekalai stood gazing at Vandiyathevan’s face. Vandiyathevan, too, stood there with a smile lingering on his lips. His mind was preoccupied—how could he escape from this girl, and what should he say to her before making his getaway?

At that moment, from somewhere in the distance, a voice called out, “Amma! Did you call me?”

“No, girl, mind your work!” Manimekalai replied. Instantly, her look of surprise faded.

She walked over to the doorway through which Vandiyathevan had entered just moments ago and bolted it from the inside. Then, signaling to Vandiyathevan, she led him a little further into the room. Suddenly, she turned to him and asked, “Sir! Tell me the truth! You said Chandramathi called you, is that true?”

“Yes, my lady!”

“When and where did she see you and call you?”

“Just a short while ago! In the next room—when I was hiding behind the monkey—you and your friend came in, looked around, and left. After you left, she saw me and said, ‘Monkey! Have you come to my room? It would be convenient to scare away unwelcome visitors at the wrong time!’ Perhaps her words did not reach your ears!”

Manimekalai smiled softly and said, “If I had heard that, would I have let her go so easily?”

“Princess! What is the use of being angry with your friend? If my face and the monkey’s face look alike, what can Chandramathi do about it?”

“There is a world of difference between your face and that of a tailless monkey!”

“It must be like the distance between a monkey’s face and the face of an owl hanging above it.”

“Your face is neither that of a monkey nor that of an owl. But you have all the antics of a monkey. And at times, you stare like an owl! Just a moment ago, wasn’t it you who peeped and stared through this mirror here?” “Yes, Princess, it is I!”

“Then why did you immediately withdraw and shut the door?”

“In this mirror, close to my own face, I saw the reflection of a divine maiden’s visage. I feared that this divine maiden might be frightened upon seeing my face, so I removed my hand from the elephant tusk I was holding, and the door closed by itself.”

“Do you know who that divine maiden was?”

“In that instant, I did not know; but later, upon reflection, I realized.”

“What did you realize?”

“It was not a divine maiden I saw; it was Manimekalai Devi, before whom even celestial maidens would come and bow! I realized it was the cherished daughter of Kadambur Sambuvarayar. And I remembered that she is the beloved younger sister of my dearest friend, Kandhamaaran.”

Manimekalai’s eyebrows arched, and with a smile that mingled mockery and anger, she said, “Is that so? My brother Kandhamaaran is your dearest friend?”

“What doubt is there in that, Princess! Do you not remember, four months ago, I came here for a day? I even entered the women’s quarters and paid my respects to the ladies! Have you forgotten that?”

“I remember it well—how could I forget so soon? Are you that Vallavaraiyar Vandiyathevan, prince of the Vanar clan?”

“Yes, Princess! The poor soul who bears only the title ‘Arayan’ of his lineage, with no palace to dwell in, nor kingdom to rule! Once, your brother spoke to me often about you. In those days, when Kandhamaaran and I stood guard on the banks of the Northern River, he would speak of you frequently. I too would dream many dreams. But later, I let go of those thoughts.”

A strange notion arose in Manimekalai’s heart. Kandhamaaran had claimed that this man had tried to stab him. Why would that be? Could it be because of her? Perhaps he quarreled with Kandhamaaran because she had refused to marry him? This thought sent a storm of delight through her heart. But she transformed that storm into one of anger.

“Sir! Spare me your old stories for now. Tell me the real reason you have sneaked into this palace; otherwise, I will at once call my companion and send word to my father,” she said.

“Princess! I have already told you the reason for my coming here! Some murderers were chasing me, intent on killing me. As I was fleeing from them, I noticed a hole in the ground. Realizing it must be a secret passage, I thought I could escape through it. But that very path led me here!”

“Sir! If you are a true warrior, as you claim, I have heard of many brave heroes, but never of a hero whose valor lies in running away. Uttarakumaran himself should come and beg alms from you!”

Vandiyathevan felt a sting in his heart. Was this the same Manimekalai whom he had thought a silly girl, now mocking him so sharply? “Lady! There were seven or eight of them! I was alone. They were armed, and I had no weapon. My precious spear was lost in the floodwaters of the Kollidam.”

“Very good! It is indeed a blessing that that murderous spear, the one that stabs a friend from behind, was swept away by the river!”

Vandiyathevan was struck as if slapped. Before he could open his mouth to reply, Manimekalai continued, “Is it truly to escape from murderers that you ran here? Or did you come here to commit murder yourself?”

Vandiyathevan recoiled as if he had stepped into fire. “Siva! Siva! Narayana! Why would I come here to kill anyone? My dear friend’s beloved sister? For what reason?”

“What do I know? You utter ‘dear friend’ so shamelessly, yet did you not try to stab that very dear friend from behind? For whatever reason you did that, you might have come here to kill someone else for the same reason.”

“Heavens! What a false accusation! Me—stab Kandanmaran in the back? Before I would do such a thing, I would rather cut off my own hand! Princess! Who told you