The White Light calling - 11

[iniyamalar]

Episode 11:
Part 1:

The edge of the sword glistened in the moon light and it reflected in her eyes. He looked straight at her and kept smiling. He didn’t even move a muscle to defend himself. That slowed her down.

“Why are you here? And how did you escape the ‘paathala chirai?’”( dungeon). He merely smiled at that.

“Speak up? Why did you escape? You plan to kill my aunt don’t you? You cannot even dream of it until I am alive. I know all about the dirty plans You and your kilavan* are trying . You think if you can get rid of my aunt, you can do as you please in ramnad( as in ramnad district) and never pay your tributes to Madurai.” she was agitated.

(* kilavan sethupathi was the famous ruler of ramanad in 17th century while mangammal ruled over southern part of tamilnadu with tiruchi as capital. He had risen out from her control and was fighting for independent rule)

“Why the hell should we?” he asked casually. His face and his expression totally put her off guard. He was still smiling coolly.

“You think I cannot beat you in a duel, don’t you? You think I am just a woman.”Her eyes looked dangerous now.

“Oh no..Please I never think any such thing. Besides, the whole kingdom knows about your sword skill and your beauty” he added.” I am not thinking that” he said.

“Then why don’t you try?”

“We have only one sword and besides, I simply just can’t fight you. I cannot lift my sword or even my finger against that beautiful face. I wouldn’t be so cruel as to knock that beautiful body down, although in a different way would be inviting”, he smiled devilishly.

“Oh shut up and fight” she said hotly.

“I can’t. I am already defeated by the arrow from those eyes. I am just your slave now” he smiled again.

“You must really be very brave for speaking like this” she said sarcastically.

“Yes I am brave.“ he said in a grave voice. She gulped.

“Do you understand what might happen if I call upon the guards?”

“I know very well what will happen. I will again be sent to that silly old dungeon, the one you call so dangerous.” he laughed. His laughter echoed along but it sounded fantastic. She shook herself and looked at him while he continued.

“Although I know perfectly well that, that is not going to happen”

“How so?”

“Firstly, you have come here secretly and god knows why, so you wouldn’t probably want to give you out yourself. Secondly, you definitely don’t want to be caught like this with me” he came a step closer and she took one back “in this time of hour, here, alone and with this huge box.” She looked at him for a long time.

“You are my aunt’s enemy” she said flatly.

“Oh I wouldn’t be too strong on that. Your aunt is a queen who wants to hold on to all the land that is there below her. She is bound to have enemies like me who would die rather than fall under her rule. Those days are over my dear. Go and tell your aunt. My uncle, the great vijaya ragunatha thevar(kilavan sethupathi) will not bow down, not anymore. Do you understand?” He slowly leaned on a nearby pillar with hands folded and eyes on her. He looked so brave she wanted to bow down on his courage. She just smiled.

She understood him very well. After all, who craves for freedom more than her? It’s for that one reason she is running away, right now. In a bizarre way she found a companionship in the enemy in front of her.

“So what’s your deal?" She carelessly placed the sword in the sling at her back. He winced. Wouldn’t that hurt her, he thought.

“Ok.. The guards are outside” he said simply.

“what? Oh.. god. Why didn’t you tell that before itself?”

“relax..”

“How could you relax? They could come in any minute or they could already be inside.”

“So what? we will still manage to escape. They won't find a trace.You are not any ordinary woman and I am not an ordinary man myself” he smiled. She eyed him suspiciously.

“You are such a careless guy” she dismissed his flirting looks and aked him “Ok? What do you have in mind about our escape route?”

“’It’s simple. It will be the same way you came in” he said in an icy voice that stopped her on track.

“What way?” she turned away from him casually and asked.

“Oh come on. You think I am such an idiot? If you really are poongodi naachiyar, then you didn’t come here to steal this and certainly didn’t come in the usual way at this time of the hour. You surely must have used a secret passage. Let us use that now.” She grinded her teeth irritatingly.

“What if I say no to you?”

“Come on let us walk out together then” he tried to catch hold of her hand, and the sword magically appeared in her hand again.

“Beware, I am not your normal woman” she warned him.

“I knew that the moment I laid my eyes on you.” he said.

“You..you..”

“Clung.” The sound of locks getting opened sounded very minutely that she would have missed it, if she had not been listening for it.

“They are here” she said flatly.

“Ok. Where is it?”

“She looked at him for a moment and decidedly she turned the other side and removed her ‘munthanai’ (the part of saree that covers the bossom) from her shoulders and twisted it.

“Close your eyes” she ordered. He smiled bewitchingly and chuckled.
”With pleasure” he said and closed his eyes. She went near him and blind tied him with her saree rope. She then turned him around and took him for a walk hurriedly to change the track and finally brought him near the bowing Ravana. He had lifted the jewel box and was carrying it on his head.

They could hear faint noises of clubs and swords clanging with the stone pillars in distance. They are getting close she thought and she heaved at the stone block which she had closed as she came out
of it.

She could feel him standing behind her dangerously close. Her heart beat was faster now and she pulled on the stone block harder. With a grating noise the secret passage opened. As she entered inside the tunnel he pushed the box behind her first and entered inside. He closed the tunnel shut behind him. She half heartedly removed her saree from his eyes.

He laughed.

“What?”

“Nothing “ he said.

“ Now can you tell me why you brought that box with you? To show off to your kilavan?” She asked him. Silence for a moment and then he said in a deep voice “ We are fighting for our freedom, we are not thieves”

“Sorry” she said.

“That’s alright. It’s natural to get a thought like that. We couldn’t have left it like that. Unnecessary suspicions would rise. Let it be with us at least until morning. “he said.

“Ok.” She said and they continued crawling in the small path.

“Why are you running away, you are running away right?”he asked.

“Yeah.. I want freedom. Just like you” she said breezily.

“I heard rumours that you were to wed that stu..that prince chokkanatha nayakar. Am I right?”

“Prince, my foot. He is not fit to be a horseman. Since the death of ‘Anna’ (elder brother, cousin) Renga Krishna, my Aunt is only ruling. Now she doesn’t have much hope on that chokkanathan so she wants to make me into another mangammal. All because my mom was fifteen years younger than aunt and I am conveniently aged for her grandson. By relation I am his aunt. But these people found out a loop hole in this ‘idiappachikkal’ family tree to bind me with him. She thinks I would marry that useless fellow and help him rule the kingdom. I would rather sell fish in the market.” he laughed at that.