When he woke up, something felt odd. For starters, he wasn’t lying on a soft bed with the smell of flowers and incense in his room. The moldy and metallic smell surrounded him. His back felt stiff, his throat was dry, his eyes were tightly closed.

Ashwin tried to move, but something was wrapped around his arms and legs. Something was holding him down. Suddenly, he remembered the guards in their house. This had to be a nightmare. The boy blinked several times, his eyes felt sticky with tears, and finally, he was able to open them. The scene that he found himself in made him scream, but no one cared.

The boy was tied to a table and wrapped in some kind of animal hide. Two men were leaning over him and sewing his hands up inside the hide. His legs, waist and chest were already covered by the black hide. Ashwin tried to break free, but alas. The men, aware of the futility of his efforts, continued their work.

“This is a mistake! I didn’t do anything. Please just send for my father,” the boy pleaded with his warders. One of the men put the boy's head over what turned out to be an animal's muzzle. He roughly adjusted it so that the empty eye sockets matched the boy's full of terror eyes.

“Shut up, you traitor's spawn! Your dear mom’s head is already hanging in front of the gates; your father will follow. A cur like you will get a chance to entertain His Majesty and good people of the capital with your death.”

The warder returned to stitching up the hide, paying no attention to any other questions and sobbing. The men ignored Ashwin until the job was done. Then the one who had spoken before punched the boy in the stomach twice, making it impossible for him to think about escaping. Another warder untied the kid and dragged him out of the room. Ashwin’s weak attempts at standing up straight and resisting ended in failure. He didn't know why or where they were going until they stepped out into a tunnel-like hallway.

The bright light blinded the boy for a moment. But the uproar that filled his ears was even worse. It sounded like he was surrounded by thousands of people. The strange thing was that he could still hear his own heart wildly beating. When his eyes adjusted to the light Ashwin found himself in the middle of the arena. His legs began shaking. Father didn’t allow him to go there, but he still heard a lot of stories about the arena and executions on its grounds. The spectator seats were full that day, which couldn’t be a sign of a painless death. And at the center under the colorful canopy the royal family was watching.

Ashwin recognized the ruler of the nation at first glance, his father’s liege, Virat the Sixth. The man gazed upon him with an indifferent expression, as if he were watching a bug crawl beneath his feet. Then he waved his hand.

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The screeching sound made the boy avert his gaze. He was so focused on the spectator seats, that didn’t realize that was standing in front of some kind of a pit. The hole in the ground was covered with metal bars. Now the guards removed the bars. The shrieks from below made Ashwin’s heart sink into despair. Even though he only saw them in picture books, the boy knew all too well those shadowed animal figures, raving about inside the pit.

The man-eater apes.

The warder pushed the boy forward. Tossing aside his pride, the pain in his stomach, Ashwin desperately clung to the man. Annoyed by his attempts, the man grabbed the kid by the neck and threw him inside the pit. The crowd burst into exultation. The boy barely touched the ground but was already surrounded by the apes.

“Aaaah! Help! Save me! Please save me!”

Ashwin’s desperate screams were muffled by the hide, apes’ squeals and cheering of the crowd. The punches kept falling on him like rain drops during the monsoon. His throat became sore, and every bit of his body felt like being torn up. Then the punching and squeals stopped. Apes moved away from him, grumbling and reluctant to leave their prey. The boy tried to catch his breath, unable to move for a while. Then he lifted his head. Before him, a huge ape was standing on its two feet. Its long dog-like muzzle was deformed with long and deep scars. Ashwin shuddered, imagining how this monster would shred him to pieces. The leader of the pack surely left this entertainment all to himself.

The ape looked down on the boy, then slowly looked up. He ignored the guards, stomping and egging on animals to continue execution. The boy followed the ape’s gaze. It was staring straight at Virat. The man stared back. Why did he do that? Ashwin couldn’t help but wonder. This is not the attention you give to a mindless animal.

The scarred ape shouted. Deep and shaking sound made everyone be silent for a moment. Anticipating the final blow, all eyes on the arena were drawn to the gruesome scene.

And then the ape lowered down and walked away on its four feet from the boy. At this moment Ashwin thought how everything turned upside down – humans went wild, while the apes remained quiet. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was the same city he used to stroll and love so much.

The ruler’s voice finally silenced the audience.

“Let them be. Let him live among the filthy wild beasts till his last days. After all, this is where the likes of him belong.”

The same words that calmed the crowd pierced Ashwin’s mind like needles. How could he scream and cry for mercy in front of that cursed man? He should have remained strong and accepted death as vizier’s son. The boy burst into tears, unable to contain self-resentment and hate towards his family murderer.