The Golden Witch || Peter Pevensie x OC

67. Christopher

Valera had been gently shaken awake to realize a number of shameful things.

Firstly, she had been asleep for a much longer period of time than she had intended when she initially dozed off against Peter's shoulder.

It was near dark outside his window, which caused her to realize the second shameful thing.

Peter's father would be arriving very soon, if he hadn't arrived already.

And finally, whether he had or had not arrived yet, there were still hosts in this house she had been disrespectful towards by resting upstairs, rather than engaging in further conversation.

"Oh, what your mother must think of me!" Valera panicked as she leapt from Peter's bed.

"Val, it's okay", her husband chuckled.

Valera rushed over to the mirror above his dresser, fixing her hair and dress.

"Why didn't you wake me sooner? Yes, we rose rather early this morning to make the journey, but I could have waited until I returned to Diggory's to rest!"

"You just looked so peaceful", Peter explained.

"And how about now? Do I look peaceful now?" Valera replied, turning to face him with a face like thunder.

Peter tilted his head to one side, and scrunched up his face slightly to appear deep in thought.

But he soon figured it was best not to answer that line of questioning, and instead chose to approach his anxious wife, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry, my love, but it's not a crime to get some sleep. No one in this house will mind, I promise you."

It was a fail-safe tactic to get Valera to calm down.

There was almost nothing that Peter could say when she was in his arms that she wouldn't listen to.

"If you say so", Valera sighed, his tactic working yet again.

"I do", Peter said before placing a quick kiss to her temple and standing back. "Now, we should probably head back down."

"Yes, of course. I should make the most of the time I have with your mother before your father arrives", Valera replied, turning to walk towards the door.

"Actually ...", Peter's voice stopped her short, "... he's already here."

"What?" Valera whispered in shock, having yet another shameful thing come from her prolonged rest.

"Peter, come on!" Lucy's voice called up the stairs, giving him little time to explain.

Peter was the one to overtake Valera to the door, swinging it open, very aware that his father (whom he hadn't seen in years) was currently stood waiting downstairs.

"My father arrived about five minutes ago. Hence why I woke you", he quickly relayed before reaching forwards to grab Valera's hand and dragging her out of the room to the staircase.

"Unbelievable", is all Valera muttered disapprovingly under her breath as she began descending the stairs.

But she didn't tell Peter off more than that, for as they got closer and closer to the sounds of people conversing downstairs, it became apparent that Peter was far more nervous than Valera was to join them.

He was taking deep breaths, his grip tightening around Valera's hand, his steps uneven, and his expression forcibly blank.

This wasn't just a matter of Valera meeting Christopher Pevensie for the first time, but Peter felt as though he were the one making first-time introductions.