title: Windsor Castle: A Thousand Years of a Royal Palace
author: Steven Brindle
description: <DIV>&ldquo;British history buffs and devotees of the royal family will enjoy this opportunity to place the queen&#39;s beloved weekend home in its historical and architectural context. . . . A splendid collection.&rdquo;</DIV> (<i>Shelf Awareness</i>)
zlib_text: **The Star Scroll**
  
  Dragon Prince book 2
  
  Melanie Rawn
  
    
    
  
   _for Mary Anne Ford_
  
    
    
  
  ![](Images/image00393.jpeg)
  
   **Part One**
  
   _The Scroll_
  
    
  
  ![](Images/image00381.jpeg)
  
    
  
   **Chapter One**
  
   **G** raypearl, Prince Lleyn’s elegant jewel box of a palace, nestled atop
  its hill in a sculpted setting of lush spring grass and flowering trees. Built
  of stone that gleamed at dawn and sunset with the subtle iridescence from
  which it drew its name, it was one of the few princely residences that had
  never been a fortress. No defensive architecture had ever been needed on the
  island of Dorval, at peace with itself and the nearby continent for longer
  than anyone’s great-grandfather could remember. Graypearl’s towers had been
  fashioned for beauty, not war.
  
  Gardens spread in curved terraces overlooking a tiny harbor where boats sailed
  out in season to harvest the pearl beds. A small army of groundskeepers kept
  the luxuriant spring growth of flowers, herbs, and trees from running ri