Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 117167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Didi/di – younger brother. Sounds like dee-dee.
Jiejie – older sister. Sounds like jeeay-jeeay.
Meimei/mei – younger sister. Sounds like may-may.
Baobei – baby, used as an endearment.
Xiao – little. Be careful with this one. When added in front of a name with a lower case x, it is a nickname or an endearment taken to mean “little.” When Shifu calls Chen Bo Cheng, xiao Bo, he means little Bo. (For Xiao Dan his name 建豪 (xiǎo dān), it means “build greatness.”)
The Fae Culture
The fae consist of a variety of magical creatures, such as (but not limited to) elves, pixies, fairies, gnomes, dwarves, Black Dogs, brownies, hinkypunks, goblins, hobgoblins, red caps, and many more.
The elves are the proclaimed leaders of the fae realm for three reasons: numbers, power, and arrogance. Elves are the most populous race among the fae, and they command a great deal of magical power. Thanks to that and their innate arrogance, they’ve stolen control of the fae realm and held it for countless years. While there are some more powerful races in terms of magic, they can’t compete with the number of elves. Not to mention, they generally have no interest in stealing power and leading the fae realm.
King Ash has held the throne for several thousand years. As the king, he wears the Oak Crown and sits on the Dawn Throne.
His most recent wife is Queen Belladonna, who wears the Holly Crown and sits on the Twilight Throne.
When a new king or queen seizes the throne through death or coup, it is their prerogative to decide whether to destroy the previous crown and/or throne and have a new one crafted. In King Ash’s case, the Oak Crown and Dawn Throne were inherited from his father who died of “illness.”
The Silver Court consists of all the members of fae nobility, government ministers, powerful spellcasters in the king’s or queen’s favor, and some military generals. When a new king or queen takes power, the previous court is dissolved and a new one is formed to match the wishes of the new ruler. The court will also be given a new name.
The court of King Ash’s father was named the Autumn Court. Prior to that, it was the Ember Court.
Notes
PROLOGUE
1 Shifu – master of a clan or sect
2 Shixiong – senior male and also fellow student or apprentice, son of the teacher
(In this case, Zhang Xiao Dan is both.)
3 Er-ge – second oldest brother. A term of endearment
(Just down from da-ge, which would be to mark the oldest brother, Zhang Xiao Dan.)
4 Didi/-di – younger brother, denotes familiarity and not necessarily a family relation. Can sometimes be added to a name such as Jun-di
5 Da-ge – senior brother, a sort of respectful endearment
1. WU YICHEN
1 Gege/-ge – older brother, denotes familiarity and not necessarily a family relation. Can sometimes be added to a name such as Chen-ge
2. REI
1 Wu-di (pronunciation woo-dee) – fifth youngest brother, an endearment or a nickname given to someone you are close to even if you are not a blood relation
(Refers to clan member Wu Yichen as he is the youngest brother of the seven clan members.)
3. WU YICHEN
1 San-ge – third older brother. San means three. Gege/-ge is older brother
2 Ah – another way of denoting familiarity that is added to a single syllable name
(Combining it with a given name adds a layer of closeness.)
3 Meimei – younger sister. In this instance with Gao Mei Lian, it refers to her age among the clan members as well as acts as a play on her name. An endearment similar to how Junjie is Jun-Jun and Yichen is Yiyi
(Doubling a person’s name is a popular way of forming a nickname.)
4 Shijie – older clan sister, opposite of shimei
(In this case, he is specifically thinking of Su Ming Yu.)
5 Huli jing – fox spirit, a mischievous spirit that can be an omen of good luck or bad luck
(It is believed to be able to change into male or female human form and seduce humans. Different from a nine-tailed fox—jiuweihu in Mandarin, kitsune in Japanese or gumiho in Korean. Depends on whether you’re a donghua, anime, or K-drama watcher.) 😊
6 Jiuweihu – a nine-tailed fox spirit
5. WU YICHEN
1 Baobei – yep, just what it sounds like. Baby. An endearment
2 Shidi – junior disciple/brother
7. WU YICHEN
1 Guqin – a seven-string plucked Chinese instrument belonging to the zither family that traces its roots back more than three thousand years. It is laid flat on a table. One hand plucks the strings while the other hand presses down the strings to change the note tone
14. WU YICHEN
1 Yiguo – one pot
This is a nod on my part to author Priest, who used this name for a puppy in Tian Ya Ke (Faraway Wanderers) and a fat, sassy cat in Mo Du (The Light in the Night, a.k.a. Silent Reading)
16. REI
1 Jiejie – older sister, opposite of meimei
22. REI
1 Xiao mao – small cat (a.k.a. kitten)