The horrible sound of raging waters crashing against each other was all that the young King could hear. Sundara Chozhan could only watch as the ship's mast collapsed in on itself, drowning him and his men. He kicked his legs, trying to keep his head above the water, but the waves were determined to eat him alive.
As Sundara Chozhan feared, the waves buried him, pushing him deep inside the bottomless sea. He reached out his hand, hoping to grip onto something, but he grabbed nothing but water.
He opened his mouth, seemingly trying to scream and call out for help, but no one heard him except himself. Soon enough, his limbs were rendered useless. They refused to move at his command.
The Fear of dying seized Sundara's heart as he thrashed his legs aimlessly, his life flashed before his eyes before his vision began dimming. The water choked him.
He gave up and accepted his imminent death. He calmed down and drifted along the currents, slowly losing his consciousness. Everything around him came to a standstill and the curtain of life fell.
* * * * * *
The last thing Sundara Chozhan could recollect from the horrendous experience was two pale hands reaching out to him.
Though he was unconscious, he clearly remembered her soft, warm hands on his shoulders, which tried desperately to calm him down when terrible nightmares of drowning struck him. He tried to open his eyes multiple times, but they felt exceptionally heavy.
Even in his deep slumber, He felt someone humming gently in his ears. He did not know if it was the angels from heaven or the angel who had saved him.
One fine day, he regained consciousness. His eyes fluttered open but immediately shut themselves again due to the sudden change in lighting. He slowly opened his eyes once again, yearning to see the girl who had saved him. He stirred and tried to get up, but his legs were paralyzed.
"An--" He croaked, Sundara Chozhan cleared his throat which was drier than a desert. He forced himself up and propped himself in a sitting position.
"Anyone here?" He called out weakly, looking around. He hoped that the girl who had saved him would show up, but to his utter disappointment, he saw no traces of her.
After a few minutes of waiting, he tried getting up to his feet but unfortunately, they crumbled under his weight, A pair of hands came in and held him upright before he could fall down and hurt himself, the same hands which had saved him from the sea.
Sundara Chozhan opened his mouth to thank her, but as soon as laid his eyes on her, he had forgotten how to speak. She made him sit down and backed off quickly.
Sundara Chozhan looked at her in awe. it seemed to him that the goddess Andal herself had descended to earth and rescued him from the treacherous sea. Her blue eyes observed him fearfully.
"Who are you?" Sundara Chozhan asked the girl, who seemed to be around his age. The girl ignored him and took off. "Wait!" He called out and got up to his feet again while holding the wall for balance.
* * * * * *
Sundara Chozhan limped out, the cold breeze brushed his hair gently. A lush island greeted him, with only a light-house poking through the dense woods. He walked towards the only building on the island, hoping to find someone to enquire about where he was. It would be even better if that someone was
To say Sundara Chozhan was taken aback by her beauty would be an understatement. He smiled to himself and kicked the beach sand as he made his way up to the lighthouse, And he found the person who he had hoped to see.
He entered the building and stood near the door frame, observing the girl. She was indeed an angel. The girl was draped in simple white clothes, with her long hair flowing like a sea of black waves down her back. The floorboard creaked as Sundara Chozhan stepped in causing the unsuspecting girl to jerk back in shock. Her eyes widened at the sight of him.
"I--" Before he could utter a word, the girl dropped the plates which she was holding and ran upstairs. Sundara Chozhan sighed and took a seat. His ears were drawn to the sound of a man's voice and the sound of footsteps descending the stairs. A bearded man came to his few.
"Oh, thank the gods! you're finally awake!" The man sighed and clasped his hands in prayer. Sundara Chozhan smiled his eyes fixated on the girl who lingered behind her father's back.
"How do you feel, Arase?" Her father asked.
Sundara Chozhan tore his eyes away from her. "Iyya, Thank you for saving my life, I don't know I would repay you,"
"It was not me who saved you, Arase," Her father said. "It was my daughter, Mandakini," He said, proudly.
"Oh..." He hummed. "Is that so?" He asked her, she further sank behind her father and looked down shyly. He waited for her reply which never came, he turned back to her father.
"Arase, she's a mute, she can't speak," Her father said sadly. Sundara Chozhan's face fell as soon as he heard those words.
How cruel is god? He gave her all the beauty in this world but denied her the ability to speak.
"Arase, you can stay here and take some rest, I'll go back to Thanjai and inform them that you're here," He suggested. Sundara Chozhan first denied it, he wanted to Thanjai the first thing he woke up, but one look at her beautiful face, he changed his mind and wanted to stay on this island for the rest of his life. Later, he relented.
After feeding Sundara a hearty meal, Mandakini's father explained everything.
For starters, He got to know where he was. He was in Ilangai, Well one of the smaller islands which surrounded Ilangai. Next, he introduced him to Mandakini's siblings, A boy around twelve and a girl around eight. Unfortunately, the girl too was struck with the curse of muteness.
The next day, Mandakini's father entrusted the King to his son and left for Thanjai.
* * * * * *
"Thanjai must be very beautiful right?" Thiyaagan asked, excitedly. Sundara Chozhan laid his back on the sandy beach and sighed.
"Not as beautiful as her," He asked dreaming about his angel. Thiyaagan furrowed his brows.
"Her?"
Sundara Chozhan realized what he had just said. "Uh...I was talking about this i-island," He blabbered. Thiyaagan shrugged, not thinking much of it. Sundara Chozhan turned to his side and sighed. But to his delight, the person he had been talking about came right in front of him. Mandakini approached them with two plates of food.
"Being a king must be a lot of responsibility," Thiyaagan started, changing the topic every five minutes. Sundara Chozhan nodded, absent-mindedly, staring at Mandakini, although Mandakini shied away from him at first, she got used to his presence.
"You could get anything you wish for right? Like you live in a huge palace, you have all that gold, and people who wait for your commands," He asked excitedly.
"You don't get a peaceful life..." He said, not taking his eyes off of her. "There's always something to worry about," Mandakini smiled at him softly, A smile that radiated so much warmth, even more than the morning sun. Sundara Chozhan's heart skipped with joy.
"Oh..." He breathed, too concentrated on his food.
"You know? I've been never this peaceful in my life,"
"Never?"
Sundara Chozhan shook his head and sighed. "They always bug me with something, and killing people in war is no fun either,"
Thiyaagan raised his brow. "So you're telling me you like it better here?"
"Of course, I would give anything to live with you," He said looking at Mandakini, Who was busy serving him some rice. Her hair's aroma engulfed him, his lips curled into a smile.
"We're flattered," Thiyaagan said, not knowing who Sundara Chozhan inferring to but Mandakini knew, at this point, she could read his face like a book. She blushed at his words.
Sundara Chozhan had to restrain himself from kissing her cherry-red cheek on the spot, but he made a mental note to do it later, while they went on their midnight adventures.
A/N
Just wrote stuff that came to my mind lol. Might continue this one.