Chapter Thirty Two
When supper with the king and Maggie finally ended, Justin found his stomach had started to churn. He wasn't sure if it was from the food and wine, the awkwardness with the king, or the excitement at getting to see a jackalope.
When the king finally stepped away from the table and went to meet with his advisors, Maggie and Justin sat across from each other in silence, trying to process what had taken place at the meal.
"Well." Maggie pushed her napkin further away from the edge of the table and slightly relaxed her shoulders before continuing. "I do believe that is the first time I have ever seen anyone spit on the king and live to tell about it."
Justin jumped to defend himself, but when he looked up, he saw laughter in her eyes and noticed she was trying very hard to keep her body from shaking. "Ha Ha, very funny." Justin tried to sound upset, but he was smiling. "I wasn't lying when I said I had never had wine before. I guess I wasn't prepared for its strength or taste." Pausing for a moment, he did his best to push the memory of spitting on the king out of his mind. "By the way, why didn't you warn me about how horrible the wine would taste?"
Maggie looked at him innocently, but Justin wasn't buying it. "Why, I really love the taste of red wine. I can't imagine why you wouldn't." They looked at each other for a moment before they both broke into laughter. It took them a full 30 seconds to collect themselves before they could speak. "It is quite horrible, isn't it?" Maggie spoke. "But my father really does like it and will serve nothing else when the cook makes peacock."
Justin wiped the tears from his eyes before asking. "How often does the cook serve peacock?" He hoped it was only on very special occasions, although he had no idea if today had been one of those days. "She serves it once a week, usually, sometimes more."
Justin inwardly groaned at the realization that he would not only have to drink red wine way more than he ever wanted to, but he would have to see those beautiful feathers displayed like a trophy across the food platter. It was enough to completely ruin his appetite.
Maggie could tell that Justin was getting depressed, so she pushed her chair back from the table and quickly stood. Let's go see the Jackalopes. I believe it is getting close to their normal feeding time. Once they have eaten and the sleeping drought takes hold, we can watch them being milked."
"The sleeping drought doesn't hurt them in any way, does it?" Justin didn't want to come across as too negative, but he was genuinely concerned for the well-being of the magical creatures. He didn't know if anyone else understood their value beyond helping the queen and princess, but he knew having jackalopes in the flesh was a very monumentous thing to have. It would be horrible if anything happened to them.
"No, the mages tried it on themselves for a week, and then when they experienced no adverse effects, they scaled it down to the right amount for the jackalope's weight and monitored them for a full week as well. The jackalopes are physically healthy, but I don't think they like to be cooped up in cages.
"I know I wouldn't want to be stuck inside a cage all day." Maggie shrugged in agreement. "I wouldn't either, but we can't let them run free when we need their milk so often. If we let them lose, they would most likely stay as far away from the palace as they could, and it would take forever to find them again."
Justin scratched his ear as they walked towards the palace grounds. "Give me a few days to think about it, and I will do my best to hopefully have a solution for you." Maggie beamed up at him at his willingness to help.
They continued on in companionable silence. Justin was fully trusting in Maggie to show him the way, as the sun had already sunk over the horizon and only the last shreds of light could be seen. After a few minutes, Justin broke the quiet with questions.
"Where do you keep the jackalopes at? Are they out in the open and just surrounded by a cage or in an enclosed area?" Maggie grabbed his hand and pulled him off the path they had been walking on and into a shadowy area. "Come and see for yourself."
On the edge of a thin treeline sat three large crates with a thick tarp covering the top half of them. Loud scratching noises could be heard coming from inside. Justin couldn't be certain, but if he had to guess, he would say that the sound was the jackalopes scraping their antlers against the wood. He wondered if the crates had been magically reinforced in some way. He was about to ask Maggie when she spoke.
"Art performed three spells on the crates and tarp to ensure that the jackalopes couldn't break free. We learned the hard way that their antlers are stronger than they look."
Justin could imagine numerous ways in which a jackalope could use its antlers destructively and dangerously. He hoped no one had been hurt.
Letting go of Maggie's hand, he took a step away from her and towards the crates. He was surprised to see three guards step out from behind the crates and position themselves in front of them. Justin stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder at Maggie.
"Did I do something wrong?" His question brought her up next to him, and she shook her head and addressed the guards. "It is okay. My father is aware that we are here. Master White wants to watch the jackalopes being milked. Have they been fed yet?"
The guards relaxed their stance and stepped to the side of the crates. The one who had been standing in the center stepped forward and bowed to Maggie first and then to Justin. "Your Highness, Master White, forgive me. We did not know that you would be coming. The jackalopes have just finished eating, and the sleeping drought should be taking effect in the next 10 minutes or so. We have sent for the milker, and she will be here shortly."
It was nearly dark, but Justin could see Maggie's eyes light up at his words. "Oh, pray tell me which one of the milkers will be here tonight?" The guard looked over at his two companions as though hoping they had the answer. Finally, one of them cleared his throat and spoke. "I can't be sure, but I believe it is Lady Matilda who will be milking them tonight."
Justin was confused as to why someone of the nobility would be doing something like milking a jackalope. Maggie, however, didn't seem confused in the least. In fact, she seemed overjoyed at the prospect that Matilda was coming.
Looking over at Maggie, he reached for her hand to draw her attention to him in the darkness. "Who is Matilda?" Maggie looked at him as she bounced nervously on the balls of her feet. "She is my mother's favorite lady in waiting." Her next words came out much lower than the first, so Justin could barely hear them. "And the mother of my betrothed."