Readers will remember that it was on the morning after the storm struck that Periya Pazhuvettarayar set out from Kadambur towards Thanjavur. He traveled along his usual path until he reached the banks of the Kollidam River, and then turned west, following the road along the river’s northern shore. He did not wish to make a long journey through the villages of Chola Nadu. Instead, he intended to cross the Kollidam directly towards Thiruvaiyaru by heading west.

Unlike his usual custom, Periya Pazhuvettarayar did not depart with hundreds of attendants on this occasion. He wished that neither his departure nor his arrival should attract anyone’s attention. Therefore, he took only ten men with him.

When Pazhuvettarayar reached the northern bank of the Kollidam, directly across from Thiruvaiyaru, the great river was in full spate, its floodwaters touching both banks and flowing swiftly. It was impossible to transport horses in the small boat available there. Signs of a coming gale were already evident. So, for convenience in returning, he left the horses on the northern bank and boarded the boat with his ten warriors.

As the boat made its way to midstream, the storm intensified. The two boatmen struggled mightily to steer the craft. The force of the river’s current pulled the boat eastward, while the storm winds tried to push it west. The boatmen attempted to steer south. Caught between these three opposing forces, the boat spun round and round in circles.

At that moment, a great storm was also raging within Pazhuvettarayar’s heart. It was his usual fate that his mind would become clouded whenever he sat before Nandini. Whatever she said would seem right to him. Even if she spoke of something he had disliked all his life, when Nandini suggested it, it would suddenly appear reasonable to him. Even if a shadow of doubt lingered in his mind, his lips would utter, “Yes, yes! We shall do as you say.” Once he had given his word, he never liked to go back on it.

Now too, when Nandini had asked him to go to Thanjavur and fetch Madurantaka, he had agreed without hesitation. But after setting out on the journey, countless doubts began to torment his heart regarding this matter. Nandini’s... He did not think that even an atom of blemish could arise in her conduct. Yet, the thought that they had left her alone amidst three young men of Nandini’s age often arose in his mind and tormented him.

There were reasons for him to harbor resentment against all three—Kandhamaaran, Vandiyathevan, and Aditya Karikalan. That night, when he and Nandini were proceeding to the treasury chamber at midnight, Kandhamaaran had confronted them and referred to Nandini as “your daughter”—that phrase had seared itself into his heart as if scorched by a red-hot iron forged in bitterness. In the fury of that moment, he had secretly ordered the guard to kill him. Later, he regretted it. Somehow, Kandhamaaran had escaped. How he survived, how the treasury guard died—he still had not been able to learn the details. After that, he could not forget that Kandhamaaran had stayed in his palace for several days, and that Nandini had tended to him with devoted care.

Then, there was Vandiyathevan, now staying at Kadambur. From the very first moment he saw that loquacious youth, he had disliked him. Later, when he learned that Vandiyathevan had tried to warn the Emperor privately in Thanjavur, and had managed to escape from the Thanjai fort without anyone’s knowledge, his aversion only grew. He also did not forget that, at that time, the younger Pazhuvettaraiyar had specifically mentioned that perhaps Nandini had helped him escape. That could never be true. For it had since become known that Vandiyathevan was an intimate messenger for Princess Kundavai and Prince Arulmozhi. Therefore, there could be no connection between him and Nandini. Yet, whenever he thought of Vandiyathevan and Nandini together, a fire blazed in the iron heart of the elder Pazhuvettaraiyar.

And then, there was Aditya Karikalan. He had heard that, once, the prince had wished to marry the daughter of a temple priest, and that this girl was none other than Nandini. Now, they had met again. For what purpose? One thing was certain: Aditya Karikalan might be a great boor, he might lack respect for his elders, but he was born of the Chola lineage. In that clan, no one had ever committed the treachery of coveting another’s spouse. Karikalan, too, was above reproach in his conduct towards women. But Nandini? Was it right that he had trusted her so far, and acted always according to her wishes? Was it certain that there was no blemish in her conduct? He still did not know her true origins. His brother, Kaalandhaka Kandan, had often warned him about her, speaking in riddles.

“Will what my younger brother said turn out to be true? Will Nandini betray me? Ah! They speak of such things in tales! Are there truly women in this world with such treacherous hearts? Is Nandini one among them?...”

As these thoughts coursed through his mind, a flame of anger blazed up within Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar; at the same moment, the fire of passion he held for Nandini too flared up fiercely. To forget the pain caused by these conflicting emotions, Pazhuvettaraiyar shook his head and cleared his throat. Only the awareness that he was amidst ten others restrained him from striking his broad forehead with his powerful hands. Unbidden, deep sighs escaped him. Gripping the edge of the boat tightly, clenching his teeth, he resolved, “Within two days, I will uncover all the truths! Never again will I repeat the mistakes I have made so far!”