Teresa Discovers Peter's Newest Feat:
Peter waited until Teresa had finally—finally—calmed down from the whole “I just rode a celestial winged queen” experience. She was still glowing, though, pacing in little circles and occasionally looking back at Arcturus like she might vanish if she blinked too long.
“You good?” Peter asked, leaning casually against a pillar. Teresa spun toward him, eyes still sparkling. “Good? Good? Peter, I just lived out my childhood dream! I’m past good—I’m in ‘core memory unlocked’ territory.”
“Fair,” Peter chuckled. Then, after a beat, he added, almost offhandedly, “You know… this isn’t actually the first time she’s done something life-changing for me.” Teresa paused mid-step. “What do you mean?” Peter scratched the back of his neck, suddenly looking a little sheepish. “Well… there was that one time she knighted me.”
Silence.
Teresa blinked. “…I’m sorry,” she said slowly, “she what you?”
Peter shrugged, like he’d just mentioned grabbing coffee. “Knighted me. After I saved her life during the whole "War of the Realms" bit, she used her celestial magic and made me one of her honorary guardsmen." Teresa’s jaw dropped. “PETER.” “What?” “You’re telling me,” she said, marching up to him, her voice climbing with every word, “that you were knighted by a magical winged queen—and you just—what—forgot to mention that until now?!”
“In my defense,” Peter said, holding up a finger, “it doesn’t exactly come up in casual conversation. ‘Hey, pass the salt—also I’m technically a knight.’ Feels like a weird tonal shift.” Teresa stared at him, then turned slowly toward Arcturus, who watched the exchange with quiet amusement.
“You…” Teresa pointed at Peter, then back at Arcturus. “You’re serious.” Arcturus gave a small, confirming nod. That was all it took. Teresa let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a delighted squeal, grabbing Peter by the shoulders. “That is the coolest thing I have ever heard in my entire life. Do you have a title? Do people have to bow to you? Wait—do I have to bow to you?!”
Peter snorted. “Absolutely not. If anything, this just means you have to listen to me slightly more often.” “Hard pass,” she shot back instantly, then grabbed his arm again, eyes wide. “Did she tap your shoulders with a sword? Was there a speech? Were there witnesses? Oh my gosh—was there a cape?”
“No cape,” Peter said, mock disappointment in his voice. "“"Big missed opportunity. I was wrapped in her wings, there was a glow of light and voilà, I was made a knight." Teresa laughed, practically vibrating again. “This is insane. My older cousin/pseudo-big brother is a knight. My nieces have a winged queen as their godmother. I just rode said queen—” She stopped, pressing her hands to her cheeks. “What even is our life?!”
Peter grinned, softer now, watching her soak it all in. “Yeah… it gets pretty weird.” Teresa looked back at Arcturus, then at Peter, her expression shifting into something warm and awestruck. “Weird,” she said, “but kind of amazing.” Peter followed her gaze, a quiet pride settling in his chest. “Yeah,” he said. “Definitely amazing.”
