Stronghold Chronicles

Episode 1: A Night of Surprises

Keiko's POV
Everybody is jealous of me.
Everybody wants to live in my house.
Everybody wants to wear my shoes,
Wear my kimonos, have servants, eat luxurious meals everyday. Everyone has a fixed idea of what my life is like.
But no one knows what goes on in these walls. Not anyone but me and my mother.
My name is Keiko.
I live on a huge beautiful estate and have a wealthy family. My father is a retired war general but stays on the reserves. My mothers occupation is not really allowed to be spoken of but I will say it definently shaped who I am today. We live just outside of Daitoshi, the capital of the Shima Nation, and this story represents the beginning of a new chapter in my life and the end of the old one.
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I sat bored to death in my room twiddling with a small basket filled with ninja stars a friend gave me. She also gave me a dummy to go along with them. I had the radio playing in the background and it was saying something about a group of people robbing wealthy families in our area. I heard that part and I thought about telling mother about it so we should beef up security and be on the lookout. I herled my metal ninja star towards the dummy and hit him square in the chest.
"Yes!" I celebrated my success.
"Keiko! Are you throwing ninja stars again?" My mother slid open the door wearing her silk floral kimono and all her hair tied in a neat little bun.
"Yes, but look I got him in the chest!" I was so proud. Her face lit up as she said,
"Wow! Great work Kei, good aim, I must say. But I told you to get dressed and put the stars down. The party starts in an hour."
I didn't know how she could have heard the loud thump. Just a few minutes ago she was on the opposite side of the estate. Ah well. Super Sonic mother hearing, I guess.
"Now hand them over, Keiko, and get dressed. I'm serious. Put on the floral kimono so we can match and fix your hair, it looks like a birds nest!" She said.
I handed her the stars and we laughed at her previous comment.
"I'm sorry mother, I'll get dressed." I pouted
"Good." She returned
"Wait!" I yelled "Before you go we should be on the lookout for a-"
"I already know, Keiko. Thieves in the area. Security has been doubled and I have been watching."
I smiled. I loved my mother and how she was always so on top of things.
She kissed my forehead
"We'll fine Kei, as long as we have each other, nothing can bring this family down." She said warmly
"Now get dressed."
"Yes, mother."
Well okay then. I've gotta change into my nice kimono the one with the floral designs all over it. It kinda makes me gag.
I go over to my little vanity on the floor and sit down seiza style on the cushion. I powder my heart-shaped face. Blush it. And fix my big shaggy mane of midnight black hair (weird combination I'm aware) into a double bun and oriental hair decorations absolutly everywhere. I hated wearing my hair like this makes me look like one of those porcelain dolls that my cousin wishes he could marry. He says "You know, Aoyama Keiko, I wish I could marry one of these porcelain dolls," He'll swoon, "They're beautiful and quiet because they step back and know their place as women."
He's only 13 and when he speaks of these things I don't ever take it too seriously. His father fills his head up with such talk. But our family has a long heritage of strong willed women. He AND his father will soon learn that the hard way. So I chuckle and brush his words off. As I'm sitting here in my room thinking of other irrelevant things about my family, my mother soon bursts into my room with an overly giddy look on her face.
"They're here!" Mother then gasped "Oh Keiko you look so gorgeous. Come along now, I have a surprise for you."
"Thank you, mother" I said. I don't dress like that often and I knew I knew exactly why. I didn't like it. I'm not exactly your typical "tomboy-princess-hates-being-a-princess" cliche, but I'm also not a "princess" cliche either. Not even close. It's pretty complicated but for now all I can tell you is I don't like wearing such things.
I walked with my mother to the main entrance of the estate to welcome the guests to the dinner.
And then who I saw standing before me made me gasp in shock.
There he was.
My first real friend, Andre.
I wasn't expecting him to be here. My mom winked at me and mouthed, "Surprise!"
Tall and slender yet muscular.
Large Afro styled hair with chocolate brown skin. Large chestnut brown eyes with a permanent scowl on his face.
Strong Quiet type.
He was so intelligent and anyone could tell it by the way he talked
He was very handsome.
But I couldn't love him and I didn't.
Our relationship is a big cliche because of the way we love each other like siblings and the way we sometimes hate each other like siblings.
We never even really thought of loving each other like that because it would be pretty wrong. Gross! Hentai!
When I saw him standing in front of me it was the first time in months. He had been away training with his father in karate and nunchaku and tonight he returned.
We stood in silence for what felt like hours. Our parents had already went inside at this point to chat and set up for dinner.
What happned next completely threw him off guard.
I started laughing pretty hard.
"So you can't speak now, Poupou?" I teased. "I hope 3 months of hard training hasn't changed you!"
(I'll give you more on the nickname later)
He chuckled his laugh with his deep voice for a boy of 15. Me, our friend group, and his family were the only people he really opened up his pretty fun personality to.
"I don't know Kei, I think 3 months of nomadic living and all that training have made me a lot stronger. " He entertained my gesture.
"I hope not too much because I actually get a lot of happiness from defeating you in our kendo matches." I joked
I was highly trained in kendo and I never go anywhere without my mothers old katana strapped on me.
I have been training since the tender age of 5 and have been facinated with the art for as long as I can remember.
He was pretty bad it much to my entertainment.
And it was hilarious to watch him get all flustered and frustrated when he is losing.
He hates not being good at things but his father wants him to stay focused on his karate so he can't train in kendo with me. Whenever he looses he goes in to this "self-shaming" mode. One specific time I beat him in a match and he literally said this to himself ,"I am such a disgrace to my family."
I busted out laughing. It was hilarious!
As I teased him about his kendo failure he sighed and said
"Lets just go inside, Keiko." And he put on a stale looking face.
At that, we walked inside joking about the old times and his facial expression eventually softened.
Over the next half an hour other guests started trickling in.
And me and Andre continued our conversation from when we walked in.
We were all just sitting there in a family room chatting having a good time waiting foe dinner to be served. I met up with some other good friends and we all ate appetizers and had a great time.
Then there was a loud explosion. My whole world went black and my ears were ringing. Then, everything was silent. Dead silent.
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Wow! I am killin it with the cliff hangers! I did it in my other story too "Asuna Rising" a fanfic of SAO. Anyhoo, I'm sorry this chapter was pretty low key but you know I gotta introduce characters, give background info, set up the storyline yadda yadda yadda. But just stay with me I'm just gettin warmed up. Well y'all know what time it is...
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Aaaaaand thats it
Deuces I'm gone💜