Vandhiyathevan spent the day lazing in the mandapam. For most part of the day, he was thinking about Poonkuzhali. He thought about how intelligent she was. He was also very impressed with her humility – how she had casually mentioned slaying a leopard. There were times when she behaved very obstinately and adamantly. Yet, there were times when he saw extreme sorrow in her eyes. He wondered what brought that out in her – perhaps a very sad incident earlier in her life. He thought about her helpful nature. He remembered how she had saved him from the guards. And now, she had even accepted to take him to Lanka.
There were times in the day when he heard a lot of commotion – sounds of horses, men and frightened animals. He realised that he was the one they were searching for. He was reminded of the turncoat – the son of the Vaidhiyar. He would never be able to forgive him.
The sun began to set. Vandhiyathevan longed to see the beautiful sunset from Kodikkarai. The peninsular formation of land near Kodikkarai made it a brilliant place to watch the sun set over the oceans. Vandhiyathevan controlled his desire. It would not be safe. Darkness fell quickly. Vandhiyathevan could not hold himself back any further within the mandapam. He gingerly stepped out. The nocturnal sounds of the forest sent a chill down his spine.
He heard the sound of a cuckoo. Vandhiyathevan took a few steps towards the sound. He saw Poonkuzhali at a distance. She motioned for him to follow her without making a noise. He noticed that the shore was not too far away. He saw a craft anchored close by, with its sail rolled down. She started pushing the craft away from the shore. Vandhiyathevan waded in the water alongside the craft for a little distance. Then she got into the craft and asked him to board as well. The craft swayed like a pendulum. Vandhiyathevan’s heart raced in fear.
“Should we be raising the sail now?”
“No. The wind is blowing in the opposite direction now. If we raise the sail, we will go towards land again. We will have to wait until the wind turns.”
“You seem to be very well-versed in sailing, just like your father mentioned.”
“He is my father only when I am on land. When I am in the ocean, the Ocean King, Samudra-Rajan is my father. I have another name too – Samudra-Kumari. Hasn’t anyone told you that yet?”
“Interesting name.”
“If the Emperor’s younger son can be addressed as Ponniyin Selvan, can I also not be addressed as Samudra-Kumari?”
“When can we reach Lanka?”
“If two people row, we can make it by dawn. The winds would also have to aid us.”
“Let me also help you row, then.”
“No need. This requires skill and I will take care of the journey.”
The boat rode the rough waves. Vandhiyathevan was feeling extremely queasy and giddy.
“These are some rough winds.”
She laughed loudly. “This is nothing compared to the winds of the stormy season. The whirlwinds that blow at those times can easily sink boats this size.”
She explained the various types of sea winds and how it can affect crafts of various sizes. She seemed to be extremely knowledgeable about the sea.
Suddenly a wave of distrust swept over him. “Was she intent on drowning him?” he thought.
“Turn around the craft and take me to land.”
“Shut up. What are you saying? We are out in the middle of the sea. If you are so afraid, close your eyes and sleep.”
“Take me back. My doubts are getting clarified. You want to drown and kill me. If I sleep, your job will become easier. If you do not turn around, I will jump into the sea.”
“Please do so. But, give me the scroll that you are to deliver to the Prince.”
“Ah. How do you know about the scroll?”
“I saw it yesterday. Do you think I would have agreed to take you to Lanka, without knowing who you are? If I were Princess Kundavai, I would never have given such an important task to a fickle-minded person like you.”
“Oho. You also know who gave me the scroll. You are definitely a conspirator. Are you going to turn around, or should I jump into the water?”
“Go ahead and jump,” she screamed.
He took a deep breath and jumped into the water. They had come into deep water by then. He had not anticipated that it would be so deep. Panic gripped him. The waves tossed him up and down. One moment, he could see the boat, the other, the darkness of the water enveloped him.
He was certain that he was going to drown and die. All his dreams of meeting the Prince, befriending him, and bringing him back to the mainland, were quashed. All of these aspirations were now being destroyed by this girl – this mad girl.
He thought that she must be from the Pazhuvettarayar camp. Then he thought she must have probably been sent by the Pazhuvoor queen Nandini. He apologised in his mind to Princess Kundavai for failing in his duty. He then decided to start praying to God, at the time of his death.
At that very time, he rode a high wave, and he saw the boat again.
For a few moments after Vandhiyathevan had jumped off the boat, Poonkuzhali had been adamant and stood her ground. She thought he would somehow struggle and come back to the boat.
After a little while, she realised that she was wrong. He did not know how to swim so well, and he was clearly petrified. He was screaming loudly. If she did not save him now, he would start swallowing water and drown. She started to row towards him.
She motioned for him to get on to the boat. He did not seem to understand. He was hysterically screaming. He had lost his sense of reason.
She tied one end of the sail rope to the boat and tied the other end to her waist. She jumped into the water and swiftly swam towards him. She saw the terror in his eyes.
She knew about the perils of rescuing people who were hysterical and on the cusp of drowning. She had heard about how they would clasp the rescuer so tightly that it would make it very hard for the rescuer to swim. She thought quickly. There was only one way. She went close to him and landed a powerful blow between his nose and temple.
Years of rowing these rough seas had made her very powerful. He was knocked out in one blow. Darkness enveloped him into an endless sleep.