To the reader:

Prince of no Kingdom has been a passion project of mine for years. I hope that, if nothing else, it brings you joy and value is some way, shape, or form.

Dedication:

To my wife, whose understanding of the world through literature and introspection forever strengthens my own desire to do the same. To my parents, who instilled in me a curiosity for and appreciation of literature. And to all the libraries that have made stories accessible to inquisitive and adventurous minds of all ages.

Read Chapter 1

Language and Pronunciation:

The world crafted for this narrative is built upon a tapestry of places, cultures, and linguistic heritages. To imbue the pages with additional distinctiveness and depth, certain terms have been borrowed from real languages. I will leave it to the sleuths to find all the references. Other words, though fictitious, inherit their origin from pre-existing rules and phonetics. This synthesis is intended to honour the traditions and meaning behind such words while creating a unique and distinct experience for readers.

Note that double vowels are used commonly in this work. This is a language feature borrowed from Ojibwe (Anishinaabemowin) and is used to denote sound-units. All double-voweled words, like in the words Towiin or Aginjigaade, elongate the English equivalent sound. Gaag would thus be pronounced Ga:g ‘Gaaahg’ and would sound distinct from the abrupt and punchy single-vowel version. Aginjigaade is similarly pronounced. “Ah-gin-ji-gaaah-de.”

An apostrophe (‘) is used in the place of a space when a name is two words. Instead of separating the name, the apostrophe connects them into one subject. Gaba’ké and Mada’abi are examples of such names. They would be pronounced “Gah-ba-ké” and “Mah-dah-ah-bi” respectively.

Other languages in this story use zh in place of the letter j and vice versa. For the regular reader, they can be used interchangeably.

Disclaimers:

This work is a piece of fiction. Any likeness to names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination and are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.