The Golden Witch || Peter Pevensie x OC

71. April 20th

April 20th couldn't have arrived slower.

The very same evening on the day Peter had promised it to be the day she would finally meet some of his friends in this world, she had written it down on a piece of paper and pinned it to her bedroom wall.

Right above her mirror, where she could stare at it every morning when she woke, and every evening as she prepared for bed.

In comparison to the elated grin she would wear whenever she saw it, Peter would always wear a frown.

Sometimes a frown of regret, sometimes of disapproval, sometimes of nerves, but he hadn't once taken back his promise. He would see it through, no matter how much he still believed it to be a horrible idea.

Valera tried to ease his nerves in the weeks they had before the day arrived.

She allowed him to relay his plan for what would happen – who they would meet, where and when. Then, she would ask as many questions as she could and use it as a chance to prove that she was ready.

She could be involved in this part of his world. She could be introduced to it without a single problem arising.

After all, she had faced much larger and more daunting challenges than meeting some schoolboys.

However, like a contagious sickness, Peter's nerves transferred over to her as the day crept closer.

To every question she had asked, she thought of three more. For every answer she received, she had it change in her mind thousands of times depending on the smallest difference in the plan. A word someone might say, a look thrown her way – anything could go wrong.

Nothing, not a single thing, could go wrong.

If it did, Peter would never let it happen again. His fears would be confirmed, and he would use that as a solid reason to shut down any begs Valera sent his way.

She had to be perfect – uphold the act of Peter's girlfriend from the countryside.

A girl called Lea who lived with a professor, and had only known Peter Pevensie for less than a year.

Certainly not his wife, a former witch and queen of a magical land, and someone who had already lived numerous lifetimes.

It wouldn't be that hard, surely. She had practiced every time she left the house, in the markets, on the trains ... the time she had visited Peter's parents was left out of that list of successes.

But even though that evening went horribly, she still managed to achieve what she needed to achieve here.

Don't let them discover the truth. And with any luck, they might like her and wish to see her again.

It was important to Valera, just as it was with Christopher and Helen, that the people in Peter's life here held a high opinion of her.

It meant she wouldn't be an obstacle. A burden for him to carry. An added bit of stress to his life which very much didn't need it.

Taking these small steps will not only help her cement her life in this world, but help her husband's life too.

They are married, so his family was her family. His friends would be in her life.

Having to keep her hidden away from them was a problem, just as having them dislike her was a problem.

So that was Valera's second goal for April 20th.

Keep up the act, but ensure it was one that didn't result in them hating her.

The first step to achieving that was what Valera currently found herself practicing over and over again as she paced outside the gates of Peter's school.