When Vandiyathevan finished recounting his adventures in the forests of Anaimalai, Kundavai looked at him and said, “Sir! The tale you have told is truly astonishing. At times, I even wondered if these were real events. I know well your talent for spinning stories. Especially when you frequently paused, glancing up and down before resuming your speech—my doubts only grew stronger!”

Once again, Vandiyathevan glanced up and down, then turned to Kundavai. “Devi! There are other places more suitable for telling fanciful tales. I have never displayed that particular skill before you. There is another reason for the interruptions in my speech!”

“Is that too a great secret? One that cannot be told to women?” asked Princess Kundavai.

“It is indeed a secret that should not be told to anyone. But if you grant me permission, I shall reveal it to you!” replied Vandiyathevan.

“You always have my permission to speak the truth!” said Kundavai.

“In that case, I shall tell you, and you need not be angry with me afterward. Sometimes, while I am speaking with you, my gaze inadvertently meets yours. I do not know what rare magic lies in your dark eyes, Devi, but it leaves me utterly bewildered. Only after composing myself can I resume speaking!” he said.

Kundavai’s lips parted; dimples appeared in her cheeks; her eyes sparkled with laughter. “Sir! There is no rare magic in my eyes. Not even any dark sorcery. I have even stopped applying kohl for some time now. What you saw in my eyes was only your own reflection. That alone must have startled you!”

“Devi! I have seen my own reflection in mirrors. I have seen it in clear water. Never on those occasions have I been so astonished!” said Vallavaraiyan.

“Are you comparing my eyes to mirrors and water? Mirrors can tarnish; water can become muddied!” said the princess.

“If a mirror is smudged, I can wipe it clean. I can make sure the water stays clear and unclouded. But if your eyelids close and draw a curtain over your eyes, hiding my form, is there anything I can do to stop it?” asked Vandiyathevan.

“It is only when one stands before a mirror that a reflection appears. It is only when water remains clear and undisturbed that an image can be seen. But whether my eyes are open or closed, whether you stand before me or not, your form always shines within my eyes. Can you tell me the reason for this miracle?” asked Kundavai.

A shiver ran through Vandiyathevan’s body. In a trembling voice, he replied, “I do not know, Devi!”

“If you do not know, then I shall tell you. There is some wondrous, magical power within you. Even the heart of Nandini, who came with a diamond-hard resolve to destroy the Chola dynasty, was shaken upon seeing you, was it not?”

“Just now, you spoke words sweeter than nectar and filled me with ecstasy. In the very next breath, why do you utter the name of that venomous serpent?”

“There was a time when I hated Nandini, thinking of her as a snake filled with poison. But now, when I think of her, I feel only pity for her…”

“To show pity to Nandini is like showing mercy to the deadly poison that seeks to destroy the Chola clan.”

“Ayya! She is the daughter of Mandakini Devi, who has become the guardian goddess of the Chola lineage! She is the daughter of the very woman who saved my beloved brother Arulmozhi many times! She is the daughter of the queen who gave her own life to save my father from the assassin’s spear!”

“But she is also the one who incited that assassin’s hand! She is the one who became the Yama of Aditya Karikalan! She is the one who bewitched the mind of the great and valiant Periya Pazhuvetarayar and made him dance like a puppet…”

“Was it only the mind of Periya Pazhuvetarayar that she bewitched? She turned Parthibendra Pallavan, Kandhamaran, and others too into her instruments! Even knowing all this, I cannot bring myself to hate her. She did all this to avenge the death of Veerapandiyan! She succeeded in accomplishing the task she set out to do! A woman of a heroic warrior clan! When I think that I too was a reason for her descending into such dreadful deeds, I am filled with sorrow. In her childhood, we drove her out from Pazhayarai…”

“You have done a good deed, Devi! But in the abundance of your compassion, do not forget that she is the daughter of the Chola clan’s enemy. Was it not enough that the son of Veera Pandiyan was raised in the Chola household and the calamity that resulted from it? If Veera Pandiyan’s daughter too had grown up in the Chola house and had been destined to marry Aditya Karikalan…”

“It would have ended in great good, the enmity between these two illustrious clans would have been resolved, and both houses would have become one. But is that story even true?”

“What are you asking, Devi?”

“Is it true that Nandini is the daughter of Veera Pandiyan?”

“I myself heard Nandini say so to Aditya Karikalan, with my own ears. Periya Pazhuvettarayar heard it too. That is what completely changed Periya Pazhuvettarayar’s heart and made him take on a wrathful form. That cruel word became the very Yama, the god of death, for Prince Aditya Karikalan!”

“Think a little! Perhaps she said so only to lay blame on Karikalan? When Karikalan tried to save Veera Pandiyan from his own wrath, she herself spoke differently. Would any woman ever call her own father her ‘lover’ with her own lips?”

“Devi! Karikalan was beside himself with rage at that time. Who knows what she said, what he understood, or what meaning he took from it? Was it not Karikalan himself who said it? Did he not believe it when Nandini later said, ‘My father is Veera Pandiyan’?