This castle has a certain feeling of eloquence to it. A sense of prestige and respect seemed to emanate from the stone that encompassed the form of the structure. Which is a much more pleasant and desirable than imagined. It would be a lie to say that doom and gloom weren't expected to be an intrinsic part of the ambiance and the atmosphere but surprisingly its none of that. Which is definitely a direct opposite to the town that this fortress stared down upon the city that laid beneath. Such a dark city filled with such cruel folk and a dark sort of guild, it was definitely the antithesis to the city. I guess that is why the other guilds of Fiore have not chosen to invade and remove this place from the map. Other than being totally unethical, I'm sure that many people lives would be lost for no genuinely good reason.

Speaking of people, I'm assuming that these are the footsteps of one of the... Servas Phantasm?!

"Lord Servas? Your Highness. I did not expect to be meeting with you!"

Do I bow? Ah well, this is definitely awkward indeed.

"Oh please. I personally wanted to oversee this one myself. And besides the reason, your here other than this quest is for the very reason why I am here to greet you as well. "

Mmmm I could see why the town of Oak had such renown outside of its borders. This man has the voice of orator and a leader. It was soothing and yet, there was a hidden sense of strength behind it. Much like the castle stone.

"Well, your Highness why am I here?"

The sadness on his face was apparent as if there was a sudden shift in the mood. His eyes grew slightly somber and his shoulders sagged down a little as if a weight was there. For a brief moment, you could say this king look more like a common man with the world pushing on his shoulders.

Though no sooner than it had come, it was gone. Replaced by a much stronger expression and one that spoke to the solid strength he had.

"Today is the anniversary of the passing of my beloved wife and queen. I am holding a ceremony in her honor and I wish to have her favorite flower retrieved from the depths of the dungeon beneath the castle. As my servants are all busy with the other preparations. I required outside help. That is where you come in my friend. "

A flower growing in the dungeon. I guess it would make sense to have the item readily available. But why the dungeon? Did flowers not need sunlight or was this of a different species that thrived in the murky depths of black? Well, whatever it lived off of. As long as it is not human flesh I am okay.

"Yes sir, if I may ask. What does this flower look like and will I be able to even see it in the darkness below. "

"The flower is known as the devil's shade. It has a long slender stem that curls up to the center of the flower. The bud will have five petals that will be closed into a tight formation like that of a teacup. There are only two leaves on the entire stem. And you will know it by the aroma of a sweet smell coupled with that of medicine. And sadly no, you won't be able to see it most likely, but then again that depends on how deep you have to travel to reach it. I wish you well on your journey. And please do not make a mess of my dungeon. I would rather not have to throw you into it. "

Hmmm, five petals, two leaves, and a sweet smell mixed with that of medicine.  Well onto the dungeon. Hopefully, I will not have to be down there for a long time.

These steps seem worn like they have been here for ages, and if that did not give away the age of this place, the stale stench that followed surely did. The light seems to be fading away, but I promise I haven't even gone down that far. I guess this place did live up to the name.

Ah. Ow. Grr. Not a single torch down here and now this smell is even more putrid than before. But there is definitely an earthy smell, like that of dirt. And where dirt was, so must there be flowers. Ah okay,  concrete, more concrete, metal bars, and *crunch* dirt. Okay. Here we go. One two leaves, good thin stem, alright and damn it. Six petals and definitely more open. Ugh, and a horrible smell though whether that was the flower or this place who really knows.

Onward, I guess. Okay. There is definitely more tilt and the air is beginning to become even more so stifling. Almost like it wants to take my breath for its own. I really hope I find this flower soon.
Mmm, more dirt and this time there's water dripping to accompany it. Definitely, a conducive place to find the flower.
Five petals, ahh but a solid thick stem. Great fate... how hard can it be to find a flower in the dark. Especially when you don't have night vision and can't see this becomes all the harder.

Forward.
Ah, the earthy smell is starting to become more overpowering that the stale stench that has encompassed these lower levels, probably in its degradation, nature has started to reclaim the territory. Which means that there is a higher percent chance of our devil shade being here.
Ah... Ow... Okay... these are vines. I remember Lord Servas saying that it wasn't on one. Must continue on.

Okay... another patch of dirt. Please be it. Okay, thin stem even with a little curve. One two leaves. Five petals all together in a teacup. And a nice sweet smell like that of a soft vanilla mixed with a tinged of medicine syrup. Which definitely lends itself to be a hypnotic scent.
Now back toward the surface and out of this dusty hole.

Is that? That's torchlight.
The stone steps. Sunlight. Freedom.

And fresh air, thank you Krotodamus.
Now to find our Lord Phantasm.

"I see you are back from the dungeon, how did it go? "

"I believe these are the devil's shades that you were asking for. "

His eyes lit up at the sight of the flowers. He stroke the petals softly as one would the hair of their lover. He brushed the leaves and cradled the stems softly like that of a newborn child.  And him taking a whiff of the flowers almost put him into a daze but the ah that escaped his lips pointed toward bliss.

"Ahhh indeed, these are her flowers. Smells just like her or should I say she smelled so much like them. She wore these a perfume. And our bedchamber always smelled like them. Every year it gets harder and harder to return down there but I am always thankful to those that do traverse those walls.  Thank you. "

His tears were soft and fell down his face and again you couldn't help but be reminded that despite the power, money, prestige, and fame. All lords and ladies were men and women with hearts that broke. Some just had more evil hearts than others.

"Here is your payment. I hope you continue to enjoy Oak Town and again. Thank you. "

These jewels feel nice, the sound of the bag clinking was nice to hear. But even more so, this time it felt good to give a man some peace on the anniversary to the worst day of his life.
I must commend him indeed, he has a lot of will to live and a strong heart. A true leader.

1336/1000