The palace orchard

As the crown jewel of Arburg, the royal palace has to have something to show off with. Surrounding its walls are acres of the famous orchard. When the palace was first built, King Howard I's wife, Helena was a passionate gardener. She insisted that some some sort of garden had to be near the palace. To surprise her for their five year anniversary, the king had this huge orchard built, as well as twenty gardens near the servants' quarters. Therefore, the palace was built on one of the most fertile pieces of land that Arburg has. Later, Eflaria was built nearby.
The orchard has a huge variety of fruit trees, the different types arranged in a radial pattern around the palace. There are 8 sections. The sections have trees that hold apples, pears, cherries, peaches, plums, oranges, figs and apricots. This vast array of fruit requires an army of gardeners to tend to the orchard, which also has to be kept perfectly manicured for the eye of the public.
In Spring, when the orchard is in bloom, it becomes a glorious jewel made up of vivid shades of white and pink. The sight is almost blinding at noon, when the sun shines brightly.

Walking through the orchard when spring is in full bloom... it's absolute magic. Just pure magic. There really is no other way to describe it.

— Queen Esmae

Only the royal family, invited guests and palace staff are allowed within the orchard grounds. To get to the palace, you must follow a gravel road between the cherry and plum trees. There is another, narrower and less known entrance to the grounds that is used by the staff. This takes you past a dreary part of the orchard.
Many years ago, the king of Arburg at the time decided to get rid of the almond trees that were behind the palace and replace them with a vineyard. Unfortunately, this failed completely, and it left behind a shameful scar in the palace grounds. This failure is often used by many rulers and royal family members to discourage change.

Owning Organization

Arburgian Government