45(A/N): Hi. I'm alive. I'm near the end of my senior year, and I'm inspired so here we go. This is some what based of my favorite Korean Drama "Goong" or Princess Hours. I recommend this drama, and I hope you would enjoy my fanfiction. It is obviously AU, so please enjoy! Eventual Toko, and no flames, spam, or trolling please.
Copyright infringement not intended. Belongs to Bryke.
Royal Hours
by Waiyi
"Toph! Wake up!"
"Huh?mmmhhhh" Toph grumbled as she buried herself back into her covers. Hair splayed and sticking up all over the place.
"Get out of that bed this instant, you mole. You're making me late" said her little brother, who was a four-years-her-junior weirdo who wants to be addressed as "The Duke". Seeing that she didn't budge, he bolted into her room, jumped up and body slammed her.
"You insufferable monster" Toph roared, jumped up,and then chased the little mongrol out of what little sanctuary she had in their tiny house.
The Bei Fongs, during the age of Toph's great to the whatever great grandparents, were fabulously wealthy, and had some influence up to her grandfather. As of now, her family is scrapping by, and harassed by loan sharks for money the Bei Fongs borrowed for the house's mortgage. As for her grandfather, he is now six feet under, and the family fortune all gone by some stupid relative gambling most of it away. Quite a change for the family; not that Toph mind, but she was tired of beating away loan sharks away from her timid father and mother.
Toph shuffled her way to the bathroom, washed up, put on her uniform, jazzed it up by pinning oddities on the school lapel, grabbed her bag, a piece of toast, and went to bike off to school.
Toph Bei Fong was a charming, spit fire, precocious, adventurous girl of 17. She was a slim, 5"4 girl with alluringly rare celadon green (a notable Bei Fong trait), long black hair in which she ties up the the standard pony tail, half framed glasses, pale skin, proportionate limbs, pink lips, an impish nose, along with a mouth that held a mischevious smile from time to time.
"Made it" Toph huffed, then noticed a lot of people crowding around three black cars with tinted windows drive into the school's courtyard. "Oh, great. They're here" Toph mumbled to herself as she locked up her bike.
Out of the car was Crown Prince Zuko, along with his entourage of snobs, and his bitch of a sister, along with her friends. Crown prince Zuko had a mop of hair that looked good on him, a cool air, a charming smile, gold eyes that could melt a persons soul, and a lean muscular body. For skills, he was a firebender, and was also trained in dual dao swords; there were also rumors that he was once part of the boy scouts, hinting survival skills. On another note, every girl melted at his gaze, and he had no trouble flaunting his charms.
Once the Crown Prince was out in the public, Toph could hear and see girls of various ages throwing themselves at the Crown Prince, as he gave the fakest smile she has ever seen. "Out of here" Toph thought to herself as she climbed stair cases to get to her home room. "Toph! Oh my god! The Crown Prince Zuko!" gushed her friends Suki, Katara, and Song, all three admiring his "charming looks" from the window.
"Oh no guys! I think you're brains have been vaporized by aliens!" Toph exclaimed, which earned her friendly shoves from her gal pals.
"Oh, shut it Toph" Song said "you're just jealous that you can't see what a dream boat Crown Prince Zuko is" in a dreamy tone.
"I notice that he is handsome. It is just the fake prick part I can't stand" Toph said in her sweetest voice.
Before her friends could retaliate, the home room teacher entered the classroom, causing other classmates to scramble back to their seats.
"Ladies and gentlemen. Stop preoccupying your minds with the Crown Prince, and act proffessionally please. Now, attendance..."
The day went by without a hitch; the standard English, Math, Science, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arts, Home Ec., Bending, Martial Arts and Gym went on. Well, not exactly without a hitch... Toph was known to be very mischievous, and being the typical wise guy when she's not always serious and wise; today was one of those days.
"MISS BEI FONG! WHY ARE YOU WEARING SWEATS INSTEAD OF YOUR SKIRT!" yelled one of her teachers, chasing her as she bolted around the building, dodging classmates, janitors, and leap frogging over random "caution: wet" signs. Toph finally came to a halt in the music wing, and sensed that she had lost her teacher for the time being. "Toph, you rule" Toph said to herself with a grin, and was about to turn to another direction until she heard two people in the practice room. To peak her curiosity, she inched closer to listen to the hubub. As she inched closer, she saw Crown fake Zuko with one of his bitch-of-a-sister's friends, Mai.
"Mai, my mother is becoming even more ill, and I'm obliged to get married soon to an arranged marriage my grandfather had set up for me. I know we had some thing between us, so I'm wondering if you would marry me?" Zuko said earnestly to the girl. After a moment of silence, Mai finally spoke: "No, Zuko. I have more important things on my mind. Some things that don't include being a Crown princess. Good-Bye"
With that Mai opened the door and left; Zuko tried to follow after her but then noticed Toph crouching down near the doorway of the practice room.
"Crap' Toph thought, then bolted from the music wing. "WAIT! COME BACK HERE!" Toph heard Zuko yell down the hall, chasing her, but then caught up, pinning her to a secluded hallway wall. Zuko inched closer to her face, fuming with rage in his eyes as he scrutinized her.
"How much did you hear?" he asked her.
"All of it." Toph said, remaining calm and cool.
"You know what happens to people who hear too much, don't you?" Zuko growled, smoke blowing from his nose.
"You don't scare me Zuko. Crown Prince or not" Toph said defiantly. She then pushed him away, and bolted out of the music wing.
"Damn it!" Zuko cursed.
Afterschool
"Ladies! Guess what?" Toph said as they hundle around a spicy rice cake vendor.
"What?" Katara asked as she plopped a rice cake in her mouth.
"CP Zuko proposed to the ice queen Mai, and he got rejected!" Toph said laughing. "The look on his face was price less. Now he has to marry some poor girl whose arranged to marry him!"
"Ouch! Harsh!" Suki said wincing. "How did you find out about this Toph? I thought you hated that, in quotes, 'fake jerk'"
"I do hate the fake jerk. Mr. Jong was chasing me down the halls because I wore my P.E. sweats instead of my skirt, and lost him in the music wing. Heard them talking in a private practice room, and tada, rejection to the pretty boy prince!" Toph smiled in triumph. "Well ladies, nice chatting but I have to get back home" Toph said unlocking her bike.
"Alright. Bye Toph" Katara, Suki, and Song waved bye to her, as she sped off.
Arriving at home, Toph noticed the house gates were open, and strange cars were parked in front of the house. "Crap" Toph thought, "loan sharks". Toph quickly climbed the stairs into the house, locked up her bike, and went in the house. As she entered she tip toed behind the men barking at her father and mother.
"Alright old man Lao, time is up. Where's the money?" asked a guy with too much pomade in his hair. The man was also accompanied with two rather burly men, holding rather dangerous weapons.
"We...I don't have the money. Please, give us more time" begged Lao on his hands and knees.
"We gave you enough time. Now either give us the money or we'll take your house" bellowed the burly guy towards the slick head's right. The men were about to close in on Lao and Poppy, until one of the men collapsed with a thud.
"Get away from my parents you creeps!" Toph yelled, still holding the rock she bent to hit one of the hefty men. After a few moments of swift tussling, the guy with too much pomade, and the two burly men were thrown out of the gates of her house. "AND STAY OUT!" Toph yelled in triumph. The men scrambled back to their car with both physical and pride wounds to cater to. As the men drove off, Toph noticed two rather surprised, well dressed men at the side of the gate stairway.
"May I help you?" Toph asked inquisitively.
"Yes. Is this the Bei Fong residence?" the older of the two asked
"Yes, how can I help you two?"
"We are from the royal household" the younger of the two said, flashing a special royal insignia. "May we talk to you parents, Miss Bei Fong?"
"Sure. Right this way" Toph said in a lady like manner, and led the men into the house.
After setting tea for them, the two men immediately went to business.
"As you know, Mr. Bei Fong, your father was a great friend towards the late King, the grandfather of the current crown prince. As promised, the great queen decided that it is best to keep the late King's promise, and go forward with the arranged marriage. Your daughter will be the Crown Prince's wife." they stated in a business like manner, and withdrew a large, silk lined rectangular box, opening it to reveal a jade bracelet carved with dragons and phoenixes, a half circular piece of obsidian with a triangle sticking out of the flat side with half a character, and a golden ring, intricately designed with Fire symbols, and mysteriously have a slot in it.
"I expect that you have kept the proof of the promise?" asked the younger gentleman.
"Of course!" Poppy said. She disappeared into her room, and came out with a matching jade bracelet, a piece of ivory with a triangle indent in it with another half of character, and a golden ring with Earth symbols. Placing it on the box's inner velvet lining, the older gentleman delicately slip the Bei Fong's ring into the royal household's ring into a perfect, complete one, along with the ivory and obsidian pieces; both pieces fitting together prefectly.
After a brief moment of silence, the younger gentleman spoke: "The Royal household understands that this will be a difficult decision; so we give you two weeks to respond to this proposal. Right now, we proved the authenticity of the promise, thus enabling the option of Miss Bei Fong to accept or reject this proposal"
With that, bother Lao and Poppy looked at Toph who was spying from the corner. Their eyes looked gently towards her, but all Toph saw in their eyes were the financial pains they tried to keep from her.
"Tophy, you don't have to give an answer now. You have two weeks bef-"
"I accept" Toph stated clearly; she then went into her room, and closed the door shut.
"Then it is settled. Toph Bei Fong will be wedded to Crown Prince Zuko" said the older gentlemen. They finished tea with her parents, then left the house an hour later.
The rest of the evening, Toph was huddled up in a corner of her room, leaning her head against the wall, think over about what she agreed to. She ignored her brother's call for her to dinner, and her parents gentle knocks to know how she was doing.
"At least now mom,dad, and the monster will live comfortably" Toph thought, then got up to quickly shower then went to bed without dinner. Tomorrow, she has a lot of explaining to do. Damn it! Why am I the poor girl who has to marry that fake...Toph thought as she drifted to sleep.
Toph woke up early in the morning. Solemnly did her morning routine with less vigor, and went out the door. Her unusual behavior earned her a strange look from her little brother, and an unheeded taunt of calling her a limp noodle.
Upon nearing her homeroom, she was blocked from the door by a male figure.
"To think this little spy will be my wife" the male said, which caused Toph to look up with defiance.
"If you think that I'm going to be all submissive towards you then you're wrong. Zuko" Toph said venomously. "I'm doing this to keep our respective grandfather's promises, and to save my family. So don't get any ideas of me liking you, or just marrying you out of pure greed". Toph then shoved him aside and entered her homeroom.
Zuko, at first, was shocked, then inwardly smiled. This is going to be interesting Zuko thought, then started off to his homeroom.
(A/N): Okay, in this story Toph is 17, and Zuko is 21. The school is a special school where because of the special curriculum of having their students be well rounded, they stay longer, and have more opportunities in this world. I might slow down the pace in the next chapter b/c this chapter was to set the ball rolling.
If you have any thoughts, suggestions, and/or critiques, please review. No flames, spam, or trolling please.