Chapter Thirty One
Justin's mind was reeling as he walked up to the long dinner table where the king sat waiting. After bowing and paying his respects, he sat down across from Maggie and waited as the servants removed the lids from the covered dishes.
As the steam escaped the plate, he had to fight back his revulsion as he saw the brightly colored peacock feathers arranged around a hunk of white meat. If the feathers weren't a dead giveaway, he would almost be able to convince himself that the meat was chicken instead of peacock.
"Oh, why did the feathers have to be included?" he thought. He knew he would not be able to get away without at least trying some of it. He just prayed he wouldn't make a fool of himself and throw it up in front of Maggie and the king.
Justin was brought out of his thoughts as a servant stood next to him and placed a large helping right in the middle of his plate with a side of some sort of green peas and garnish. Then he filled the glass goblet to his right with a dark red liquid that Justin suspected was wine.
While he knew in America he was not old enough to drink, he highly doubted Aldervaile had the same rules. He had never tried red wine before, but he was grateful for it. Maybe it would give him the fortitude that he needed to be able to not only eat peacock, with the feathers on full display, but have a conversation with the king where he didn't embarrass himself or give himself away.
As the king and Maggie picked up their forks and began to eat, Justin first reached for his goblet and took a long drink of the wine. No sooner had the liquid hit the back of his throat than he began to cough and sputter all over the place.
Justin quickly covered his mouth, but the damage was done. When the coughing fit was over, he looked up to find the king's face covered in dots of red liquid, and his blue robe and black shirt looked wet as well.
Maggie was looking at him with her mouth hanging open. A piece of peacock was on her fork halfway to her mouth. After a long moment of agonizing silence, the king set down his own fork, picked up a cloth napkin, and gently wiped his face and beard. When he was finished, he turned his full attention to Justin.
"Well, my boy, it appears that you have a powerful set of lungs. They seem to be in good working order, and they expelled the offensive wine quite nicely, I would say." Justin was in shock. Was the king actually joking with him after he had spat wine all over him? What kind of king did that?
"I am so sorry, your Grace. I have never had wine before, and I am afraid that I was unused to its strength." The king was already waving away Justin's words as he picked his fork back up and began to eat. "It is quite alright young man. I remember my first encounter with wine, and it was much the same, although in my case, I spit it out at the feet of my future mother-in-law, and her pet dog lapped it up and was tipsy for the rest of the night."
Justin had to smile at the king's words, but a question came to him that he had to ask. "Was the dog that small of a dog, or the wine that strong that the poor animal would get drunk off such a small amount?"
The king roared at Justin's question and paused to take a drink from his own goblet before answering. "Both." At his reply, the tension from earlier seemed to leave Justin as he absentmindedly took a large bite of peacock. He was shocked to find that he actually liked the flavor, although it was a bit gamey and lean. As long as he didn't look at the feathers displayed on the platter, then he believed he would be able to eat his meal without any further assistance from the wine.
Having tasted the red liquid, he was further confirmed in his belief that he would never be a drinker. It tasted like cough syrup, and that was one flavor he had never gotten a desire for.
"So, tell me, how did your discussion with the royal mages go after I left? Were you able to get a lot decided?" The king looked from his daughter to Justin. Before he could answer, Maggie spoke up, her words were animated and slightly loud.
"Oh, yes, Father! We were able to pick out two locations to house the mated unicorns. You see, Justin told us that unicorns are solitary creatures that normally do not interact with anyone but their mate and maidens. If we had tried to house them in the same area, even with more space to run, they probably would still not have acted normally. They might have even fought each other."
The king looked from his daughter to focus his attention on Justin. "Well then, I am very glad that we have your expertise to guide us in this endeavor. We are very grateful to you. I am very grateful to you as well." Justin could tell the king wanted to say more, but when the king took a drink of his wine, it was clear he was done talking.
"I am extremely happy to be able to help. It is wonderful to be able to use my expertise to help Aldervaile, but more specifically, you and your family."
Maggie gave him a sharp look, and he wondered if he wasn't supposed to know about the queen and princess. Out of nervousness, he picked up his own goblet and, just in time, went from taking a large drink to a very small sip. This time, he was able to control the tickling in his throat with a deep swallow, and by the time he set the goblet down, the king had already turned his attention to Maggie.
"My dear, what plans have you, after we eat?" Maggie wiped the corners of her pristine mouth with her cloth napkin as she formulated her words. "Justin is very interested in all of the many magical creatures. He has seen the unicorns, but so far that is all. Since we have some Jackalopes in our possession, I thought he would enjoy seeing them as well. Once we are done here, I plan to take him out to their enclosures so he can see how the guards interact with them."
Justin didn't miss the fact that she didn't mention them being milked. That would be too close to admitting that he knew about the queen and princess's condition. If the king really was opposed to people knowing, then he would have to be extra careful about what he said.