Orchard Castle
Orchard Castle is the Freehold of Duchess Dianan of Appalachia.
Overview
What mortal see as an old shack built beneath a silver birch tree in a small glade near Jonesborough, Tennessee, is far different to Kithain eyes. Orchard castle serves as home to the ruler of Appalachia, Duchess Dianan and her faithful troll guardian, Count Bjorno. The glade is a small green paradise dotted with apple and cherry trees. The shack is a tiny gray marbles palace (looking more like a life-size dollhouse than a castle) with miniature red-slate turrets. Banners with representations of the Fiona silver lion on a crimson background fly from the peaked central tower. Two reclining silver lions, animate chimera, guard the red-oak door.
Inside, there is just enough space for a comfortable sitting room, complete with a fireplace holding the freehold balefire, and three smaller rooms. Two serve as Dianan's and Bjorno's respective bedrooms, while the third is a tiny treasury housing Dianan's ducal treasures. Whenever the duchess holds court, tables, pillows, and blankets are set out in the glade. Dances take place beneath the trees, which are lit with chimerical globes of light for the occasion.
References
- CTD. Kingdom of Willows, p. 63.