Reroll My Fate

Chapter 4

The beast’s roar shook the ground beneath my feet and I stood frozen among the shouting crowd, unable to look away from the makeshift arena.

The creature was enormously bigger than any wolf I had ever seen, its body twisted with unnatural muscle and jagged spikes along its spine. Saliva dripped from its massive jaws as it ran towards the slave with terrifying speed.

My eyes widened and I turned to the man expecting him to run but he stayed still. His toes furrowed into the sand and I watched his broad shoulders tense.

The creature was barely a foot away from him and just when it attacked, he dodged with immense speed. Faster than anyone his size should be able to move.

The beast’s claws slashed through the empty air and it let out an enraged roar. Before it could turn around the man drove his fist into its side and the impact echoed so loud I was positive the whole market could hear.

My heart pounded the more I watched. There was something special in the way he fought that made it hard to turn away. I watched him grab the beast by the head trying to ruin its balance and my mouth fell open in shock.

The creature howled in rage, swinging his head left and right in an attempt to get the man off him but he stayed put. He pulled a small dagger from his belt and drove it deep into the beast’s neck.

A growl tore through the creature's mouth and his movements became more frantic. The man finally fell off only to be slashed in the chest.

Blood dripped to the floor but he refused to back down. The beast ran towards him and I lunged the knife at the back dragging it through its thick skin.

The crowd was completely lost in it with people shouting, cheering, fists pumping in the air. I felt their energy vibrating through me, but my focus stayed locked on him.

With a roar of his own, the slave leaped onto the beast’s back. With one hand he held himself on the beast's neck while the other hand sank the dagger in again and again.

The creature thrashed wildly, trying to throw him off, but he held on with everything he had. One final, deep thrust, and the beast collapsed with a shuddering groan.

The moment it fell still, the crowd erupted and cheers exploded around me. They clapped, chanting a name I soon understood to be his warrior name.

The noise was deafening, but I barely heard it as I walked closer trying to get a better look at him. His black hair was long and matted, his clothes nothing but dirty rags.

A strange sense of familiarity washed over me. My stomach tightened and I stared in confusion, I had never seen him before so why the hell was I feeling like this?

The feeling was so strong it pulled me forward. I pushed through people trying to get closer only for my eyes to catch someone else. Elara.

She stood near the edge of the arena, watching the slave with sharp interest and my body went cold. What was she doing here?

Not wanting to get her attention I kept moving closer, my eyes flicking between her and the slave. I watched people yell out numbers and slowly it dawned on me that this wasn't just some fight. It was an auction and people were bidding.

Noblemen and wealthy merchants shouted numbers, their voices rising with every new offer. The slave was being auctioned off like livestock.

Finally, he turned around and it felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. That face. I could forget a lot of things but I doubt I could ever forget him.

Ryan! He was the slave that my carelessness had killed. Guilt filled my chest and just as I was about to head closer Elara turned and spotted me. Her features were covered in shock but it slowly faded, replaced with a wide grin.

“Arewen!” she called, walking toward me with open arms. “What a surprise to see you here!”

I forced myself to smile back, even as memories of her betrayal burned still behind my eyes. Something told me that was never going to stop.

We exchanged greetings like the best friends we were both faking to be. She asked me how I was doing since the ball and I struggled to string actual words together.

"I'm as good as I can be. Why are you here?" I asked, wanting to change the subject.

“Oh, the Vane family sent me,” she said happily. “You remember I started working for them a few months ago? As a housekeeper?"

I nodded and she smiled yapping away. In my first life, I had been genuinely happy for her when she got that position.

Now the words tasted bitter. Was this how it started? Was this how she had grown so close to Caspian? The thought left a hot and uncomfortable feeling in the chest.

The auction continued around us and the bids for the slave only climbed higher and higher. I raised my hand occasionally, letting my lady-in-waiting announce my offers. The numbers increased but I couldn't care less, too determined to save him.

As I was avoiding, Elara changed the subject to Caspian. “He’s a good man, Arewen,” she said, her voice full of concern and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

“You’re being too harsh. One mistake shouldn’t destroy everything. He was probably framed. You know him better than anyone. He’s been so kind to you these past two years, so attentive.”

The more she spoke, the angrier I became. It was painfully obvious now. She and Caspian had already been having an affair, no true friend would support him like this.

She kept going, telling me everyone deserved a second chance, that I was reacting emotionally. She even went as far as telling me that ending the engagement would be a mistake.

"Besides, do you know how good it would be for you to marry into the Vane family?" She said and I nearly laughed out loud. I was royalty. A princess. If anything, they would benefit from me.

Still, I smiled and I nodded. While another round of bids went on, I turned to her casually. “I have a question.”

“Ask me anything!” She said with a bright smile.

"What do you do at work?" A smile stole across her face and she launched into a long, detailed explanation about her work.

I listened patiently, raising my bidding paddle every so often to increase my offer for Ryan. When she finally finished, I asked another question.

“So how do you find time to sleep with Caspian?”

Elara's eyes widened in shock and my lady-in-waiting choked on air. She quickly lowered her head, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing.

I calmly raised my bidding paddle again, calling out an amount of Ryan while Elara stared at me. The bright smile had completely vanished from her face.

Her expression hardened, eyes narrowing with shock and something darker. For the first time since she approached me, she had absolutely nothing to say.