The Royal Heir - The Valtoria Diaries 2

Peafowl knowhow

So cool, so cool, the big old peacock removal van was already parked around the back of Beaumont Manor when they rolled up that morning. A shame it wasn't peacock themed, it was a bit of a common or garden livestock transporter to be honest, but as long as it did the job! Their journey here had felt like an eternity, even with Jen to keep him occupied; he was so excited for what was happening today he could scream (and to be frank he had actually done that a fair few times on the way here).

He leapt out of the car, ran round to do his usual chivalrous thing for his amazing wife, and then didn't let go of her hand once she was out of the car. "Come on, let's get right round there!"

"Shouldn't we check in with Bertrand and Savannah first?" Jen asked, doing her best to keep up.

"No! I want to be present for every moment of this significant rite of passage for my precious sons and daughters that I can." He led her at a trot around the back of the manor house, where he soon caught sight of one of the men tasked with transporting his twenty-odd peacocks and peahens to Valtoria, and ran off towards him. The guy had one of the peahens in his arms, and was carrying it to the vehicle.

"Ahoy there!" he called.

"Ah, you must be Duke Maxwell," the man said. "We're making good progress. We have about four of them in the transport already."

"How do you even catch them?" he asked. "When they see me they run and hide. Probably because I annoy them."

"Oh, we're used to coaxing them into coming out of hiding places," the man said. "They soon get hungry after all."

"So you tempt them with snacks?" He slurped and tapped the peahen on the head. "Yum."

"We're using dry dog food today," said the man, as he placed the peahen in the van, then re-emerged. "Works a treat."

"Dog food? Who knew! We've got dogs, haven't we, Jen! Oh hey, this is my wife Jen! Well, you probably know that, given that she was recently announced as Cordonia's most inspiring woman of 2019."

"Was I?" Jen asked.

"Yeah. The announcement was made three seconds ago by me. So Jen, this is... uh..."

"Paul," the man said. Peacock Paul! He nodded in Jen's direction, and although he obviously appreciated her great beauty, he managed to stay the right side of respectful when acknowledging such a great beauty in the presence of her lover. "What have you been feeding them anyway?"

"Uh, well I'm not sure what Bertrand's been feeding them since I moved out, but I found they'd eat anything really? Leftover pizza, bit of pasta, fruit I found in the kitchens, obviously apples, uh.. yeah."

Jen looked horrified. "Um, I'm sure that's probably not the best diet for them, babe?"

"Actually, that diet's fine," Paul pointed out. "Peafowl are omnivores. They'll eat anything."

"Ha! See! I do know what I'm doing!" He stuck his tongue out at her, and she frowned. "But I'm no peacock expert like these guys. Paul, I beg of you, impart your magical knowledge upon me so that I may be the perfect peacock whisperer when we get back to Valtoria."

"We'll have to do it on the job," Paul said. "The Duke here won't be impressed with me if I bill his estate for time spent talking to you."

"Good point," Maxwell said, running after Paul as he headed back towards the pen. "So, what's the funniest thing you've ever seen a peacock do?"