CHAPTER 7

LITTLE KANNAN

While Aayanar and Paranjyothi were deep in conversation, we mentioned that Kannabiraan gestured towards Sivakami, didn’t we? Sivakami waited awhile, until she was sure that neither her father nor the commander would notice her absence; then she sidled along the corridor until she reached the entrance.

“Anna, did you want me? Have you any news?” She asked.

“Yes, I do,” replied Kannan.

“Has Kamali sent me a message?”

Kannabiraan looked around and lowered his voce conspiratorially. “Well…she’s asked me to poison that young man inside your home, talking to your father.”

Sivakami looked at him, startled. ‘Good grief, what on earth…!” A smile appeared on her face. “Why does she want to poison him?”

“You seem to be quite casual about it, my dear.”

“I’m not—which is why I asked for the reason for such a drastic course of action.”

“My dear lady, that young man is Maamallar’s competition!”

“Competition! In what way?”

“In becoming the heir to the Pallava throne, of course! My dear, rumours are raging around the city that the Emperor has adopted commander Paranjyothi, and is going to hand over the Pallava Empire to him on a silver platter. Narasimhar, apparently, will not be the next heir to the throne!”

“Oh…! If only this were true…”

Kannabiraan widened his eyes. “My dear sister, it seems that you would rejoice if such an event came to pass!”

“I would indeed, anna. This Empire is the only obstacle to our love—the only object that stands between him and me. Wouldn’t it be more than enough if we merely had each other, all our lives? Why would anyone want an Empire?”

“All women, it appears, are the same. Kamali was saying something to the same effect…”

“What did she say?”

“Very much the same as what you said, a moment ago. 'Kanna, wouldn’t it be enough if we simply had each other? Why must you work yourself to the death at the Royal stables? Let’s move to a tiny village and live our lives in peace,'—that’s the gist of what she said.”

“And…are you going to carry out her wish?”

“I’ve no objection, my dear. But there is a tiny obstacle—Little Kannan would object to such a move, I fear.”

“Who…er…is Little Kannan?”

Kannan gave her a saucy wink. “Do use your brains a little, my dear—I’m sure you’ll know who it is, if you’ll think a moment!”

Sivakami stared blankly at him. “Think? What on earth must I think?”

Kannan threw her a disappointed look. “Is that all, sister? Won’t you make even the tiniest attempt to find out who Little Kannan is? So much for intelligence, then!” He lowered his voice a little more. “Little Kannan, is…er…um…inside Kamali, at the moment.” He finished, and gave a sheepish grin.

“Oh…!” Sivakami finally understood what Kannabiraan had been trying to tell her—Kamali was pregnant. “Oh…anna, this is great news, indeed! I’m—I’m very happy for your both…” She felt a queer emotion coursing through her body—it made her want to see Kamali at once, and hug her very tightly.

“I wish you’d convey your happiness in person,” continued Kannabiraan. “Kamali can’t leave Kanchi at the moment, and she’s bundled up lots and lots of news, to share with you when you next visit us…”

‘I would dearly love to see her again, myself,” answered Sivakami. “But how would that be possible?”

“Very true, my dear. That’s exactly what I told Kamali, when she expressed a wish to see you. I told her that you would never visit our poor little cottage—”

“Anna, please don’t—don’t say that. There can be no poverty wherever you and Kamali reside. Your little cottage is a thousand times better than the richest palaces in the world…!” Sivakami stopped suddenly. Her mind seemed preoccupied by some thought, which prevented her from continuing. “Why not, anna? I shall ask father, and we shall decide upon something. There isn’t any other news, is there?”

“Nothing that merits your attention, my dear. Except, of course, something that happened this morning. I took the royal chariot round to the palace, in the early hours, and Narasimhar called me in. I asked him what the matter was, and he replied that nothing was the matter, except that he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. ‘That, my lord, is obvious,’ I replied. ‘Why didn’t you get a good night’s sleep?’ I asked, further. ‘The commander and I spent many hours in conversation,’ replied the Prince. And then I asked ‘Is that all, my Lord?’ to which he said, ‘I wrote an olai…. ‘Who to?’ I asked, and he replied that he’d written one to his father. ‘Very well, my lord,’ I said. And then, after a few moments, he said, very hesitantly, ‘I’ve written another olai too…’ ”

“Anna,” Sivakami’s voice was choked with emotion. “Kindly give me the olai…”

“Of course I will, my dear. But you mustn’t snatch it from my fingers and sprint away into the forest, like you did, the last time I gave you one. It landed me plenty of difficulties, you know.”

“Difficulties? What were they?”

“The last time, you ran away into the forest as soon as I gave you the olai—and so, when I came back, and Maamallar asked me about your expression, the way you looked when you received the olai, what you said and what you might have thought…well, I had no idea what to say, and I simply gaped at him…”

“Enough, my dear brother. Please, please give me the olai!”

Kannabiraan put it off as much as he could, and after laughing at her for a few minutes, handed her the precious manuscript.

Sivakami waited no more, after that. Catching up the slender palm-leaves in her hand, she ran around the house, towards the pathway that led to the lotus pond, and disappeared into the forest.