“No!” Yifan cried out, fighting against the guards that held him to his seat as the cages were lowered into the arena. He could see Yixing in the cage, wrists cuffed to the metal bars and eyes wide in terror. Yixing’s younger brother was held in a similar cage just above the arena as an incentive for Yixing to provide a good show. “Let me go!” The prince roared but the screams of the crowd covered over him completely and the only one who heard him was his stepmother who turned to him with a cruel smirk on her face.

“We shall see, if your lover is worth as much as you feel he is.” With those chilling words, the Queen ordered for the prisoner to be released. Yixing stood in the middle of the arena with only a small dagger in his hand. He surveyed the arena with fear thumping in his heart. The yellow of the lions’ eyes glimmered even from within their metal prisons and even that far away, he could smell their hunger. Baekhyun thrashed in his cage, yelling in fear as he watched the handlers raise the gates. The great golden beasts lumbered out slowly, yellow eyes watching Yixing curiously. He stared back at them, trying to feel all at once where all of them were.

They were male lions, all incredibly handsome with golden manes in their prime. He thought it was a terrible pity to lock them away only to let them fight. They were hungry, having been starved for days in preparation for this event. The audience wanted blood and the Queen would ensure they got what they wanted. Yixing extended tendrils of his magic outwards but they showed no reaction. His stomach dropped. He had been counting on his ability to interact with them to prevent himself from being killed but he could not reach them through their hunger. The largest male took an experimental swipe at Yixing and he jumped away, nearly falling into another lion. The cat growled and struck out at him with a massive paw.

In his seat, Yifan struggled against the shackles that had been clasped to his wrists to ensure he could go nowhere as he watched in horror as one of