"Audrey?"
A female figure sat in front of the large glass windows, silhouetted against the glow of the full moon. The expensive cloth of her dress flowed down to the floor like a waterfall of black and white fabric. Burgundy hair tumbled down her back, landing playfully between the woman's slender shoulders. Chocolate brown eyes only glanced toward the door for a moment as the man who had spoken made his way into the room.
A lone piano sat in the far corner of the dark room. Upon the polished mahogany of the closed top sat an equally beautiful violin. However two of its strings had been snapped and the bow used to play the majestic instrument was broken in half. The shadow of the man moved toward the broken instrument, a frown on his whiskered face. "Darling, did you really have to break your violin?" He asked, looking toward the woman sitting near the window. The burgundy haired maiden did not stir, but kept her gaze forward. The man sighed in defeat. "What do you expect me to do, Audrey?" He asked, frustration leaking through his voice.
"Call it off," was all the girl, deemed as Audrey, replied. Her strong soprano voice seemed to echo across the marble pillars that held up the room.
"You know I can't do that," the man responded as he made his way toward the girl. "Your mother would never approve."
"Didn't you marry mother for love?" Audrey shot back immediately. "Why can't I be given the same chance, father?"
"Audrey if you agree to marry Theodore just think how well off you'll be," Audrey's father said. "Try to be reasonable. Theodore's family owns the top two real estate businesses in all of England. With that fortune, you would have more money than I have to the Haddock family name."
The daughter crossed her arms, shaking her head back and forth. The burgundy curls that fell down her back bounced up and down as if seconding Audrey's refusal. "I don't want to marry for money. And besides, Theodore has the face of a rat. I don't want a rat for a husband! Not mention he's immensely lacking in the intelligence department."
Mr. Haddock sighed as he massaged his temples. "You're so much like your mother sometimes. It's frightening," he muttered to himself. "What will you do then, Audrey? Run away like your cousin and rot in the streets of London because you can't support yourself?"
Audrey didn't respond. Her crossed arms fell into her lap as her thoughts wandered back to her cousin. Eliza had been such an amazing person. Being the same age as her, Audrey and Eliza had been close cousins. She had always been there when Audrey needed her and she didn't put up with any of the little brats that ran around at their family gatherings. Unfortunately, Mr. Haddock's sister, Audrey's Aunt, set up an arranged marriage for Eliza. This made Eliza furious and the night after she was told the news she ran away. No one had heard a word from her since. It hadn't been until three months earlier this year that one of the maids read in the paper that a young girl around the age of seventeen had been found dead on one of the backstreets of London.
"The only way out of this is to find another suitor," Mr. Haddock finally said. "However, it would have to be someone with riches equal or greater than Theodore's."
Audrey's head snapped up quickly. Of course! Why hadn't she thought of it before? Turning her eyes to finally look at her father, a small smile twitched at the edges of Audrey's lips. "Send me back to Ouran Academy."
Mr. Haddock's mouth fell open in disbelief. "That school in Japan you attended in elementary school?" He questioned, surprised that his daughter even remembered that place.
"Of course!" Audrey exclaimed, finally standing from her seat. "Think about it, father. The tuition is so high only those from rich families could attend. Not to mention the school is known all around the world for how prestigious it is. There's no doubt I'd be able to find a suitor to my liking. Or…would you rather have me run away, father?"
Mr. Haddock continued to stare at his daughter. He should have known she could have come up with some outlandish plan to escape this marriage. She was his daughter after all. Removing his glasses, Mr. Haddock rubbed the bridge of his nose while releasing another sigh. Turning his gaze back to his stunning, seventeen year old daughter, Mr. Haddock smiled and let out a chuckle before saying, "You have one year."
Ouran Academy seems much more beautiful than I remember it, Audrey mused as she walked through the school's front gates. Then again it had been quite some time since she had last set foot on its campus. Stopping in the middle of the stone walkway, Audrey just let herself take in the magnificent scenery of the Academy. There had been so many arguments for her to even be allowed to be standing where she was today. Mrs. Haddock hadn't liked the idea at all, even when Mr. Haddock had first begun to explain it. The only way they had gotten her to agree was that there was the possibility Audrey would find a suitor with more money than Theodore.
Audrey let out an exasperated sigh, pushing all the thoughts from the previous months away. All that mattered now was she was here, at Ouran Academy. To be honest, Audrey had to admit she had missed the school. England was a beautiful country in its own, but it was nothing compared to the exquisiteness that illuminated from Ouran Academy. Not mention, Audrey was in love with the uniforms the students were required to wear. Tilting her eyes down, Audrey played with the intricate lace that bordered the ends of her sleeves. Yellow wasn't exactly her favorite color but it caused a marvelous contrast with her hair and Audrey's mother had always told her that she could make any dress look amazing.
Registration had already been taken care of and orientation had occurred a few months prior. Audrey already knew that she was in classroom 2-A, which was the highest level classroom for second year students. It did feel a bit odd to starting school in April again, though.
"Hey are you lost?" a voice from behind Audrey asked.
Audrey jumped at her thoughts being broken so abruptly. How long had she been just standing in the middle of the walkway thinking? Turning around with a slight blush on her face, Audrey saw a small brown haired boy. The boy tilted his head to side, seemingly concerned for Audrey. "Oh no, I was just…thinking I guess," she replied lamely.
The brown haired boy laughed lightly. "You can't remember if you were thinking?" he asked, laughing yet again. His laugh seemed a bit feminine, but Audrey had heard some odd laughs in her day. Maybe this boy just hadn't hit puberty yet. "No worries. I guess can't remember what I was doing when I blank out sometimes either. I'm Haruhi Fujioka, by the way," the boy added with a friendly smile.
Audrey bowed, recalling that was what she had done when she had spent her younger years at Ouran Academy. "It's a pleasure to me you, Haruhi. I am Audrey Haddock," she replied elegantly.
"You have an unusual accent," Haruhi replied bluntly. Audrey frowned, having thought her English accent hadn't been seeping through too badly. "Where are you from?"
"Er…London, England," Audrey replied softly, hoping she wouldn't be judged. She recalled a fairly decent amount of people making fun of where she was fun her first year at Ouran in elementary school.
"Oh okay that explains it!" Haruhi said with a soft chuckle. Audrey tilted her head to the side, trying to figure out this boy. He was so girly. Not to mention his eyelashes were way to long and wistful to be a guy's eyelashes. "Uh, is there something on my face?" Haruhi asked, noticing how intently Audrey had been staring.
"Oh! Goodness no, my apologies," Audrey replied right away, feeling incredibly embarrassed. "I guess I'm just still tired from my flight in yesterday," she lied.
Haruhi smiled softly at Audrey's response. "No worries. I'm tired too and all I did was cook dinner last night," he replied. Audrey's brows furrowed with even more confusion. This boy cooked dinner as well. Those who attended such a prestigious school as Ouran Academy usually didn't even know where to start when it came to cooking. Audrey herself had only baked a small batch of cookies in her entire lifetime. "So what year are you, Audrey?"
"Second year. I attended Ouran Academy in elementary school but I returned to England for my middle school years," Audrey explained. "What about you, Haruhi-san?"
Haruhi laughed once again. Am I really that hilarious? Audrey thought to herself as a tint of pink spread across her cheeks in embarrassment. "I'm only a first year, Audrey-senpai. I'm the one who should be giving you respect," the boy explained happily. Audrey nodded slowly, realizing the mistake she had made and why it had been so funny to Haruhi. Suddenly a bell sounded across the Academy, signaling that students only had five minutes to get to their designated classrooms. "Oh we better get to class! I'll see you around, Audrey-senpai!" Haruhi called as he ran off, emphasizing the senpai part. Audrey waved goodbye at the boy's disappearing figure then quickly made her way inside toward the second year wing.
Navigating through Ouran Academy came back quickly to Audrey. The high school building was set up similarly to the elementary building, just a bit larger. In no time she had found classroom 2-A. With a deep breath, Audrey walked silently through the doors. Almost instantly the students in the room quieted down seeing a new face. Audrey nodded politely to those she made eye contact with and then took a seat at the desk closest to the windows.
After a few initial whispers questioning who the new girl was, the students returned to their regular conversations. Releasing an inaudible sigh, Audrey began rummaging through her little briefcase-like book bag to find a notebook and pen. "Greetings, my fair maiden," a voice spoke above Audrey. Turning her eyes upward, she came face to face with a pair of sparkling sapphire eyes. A boy with shiny blond hair stood above Audrey's desk smiling down at her. Before Audrey could say anything in response the boy bowed low before her and then knelt on one knee next to her desk. "Could I be so kind as to ask your name?"
Audrey stared at this handsome boy in utter amazement. She remembered Ouran Academy being esteemed and elegant but she never recalled events like this happening in the classroom on a daily basis. Perhaps the others at this school took their rich status a bit too seriously? Swallowing hard to find her voice, Audrey stood and curtsied to the boy kneeling before her. "Audrey Haddock, good sir," she replied with a kind smile.
"Such a beautiful name, accompanied by a very graceful woman with an appealing voice," the blond boy swooned as he took Audrey's hand. A blush skipped its way across Audrey's cheeks. Was this how they treated all new students? "My name is Tamaki Suoh, dear princess."
Princess? No one had called her princess since she had been the age of about eleven. Just as Audrey was about to ask what this Tamaki was trying to accomplish a boy with black hair and expensive looking spectacles appeared beside Tamaki. "Starting host activities a little soon, aren't we Tamaki?" The black haired boy asked with a knowing smile.
"Just making sure the new students feel comfortable, Kyoya," Tamaki responded with a grin before releasing Audrey's hand and standing up straight once more. "It was a pleasure making your acquaintance, Audrey," Tamaki added with another bow before returning to his seat. The boy named Kyoya nodded in Audrey's direction and then took a seat at the desk beside Tamaki.
What a strange pair of boys… Audrey thought to herself as she turned her attention back to the front of the class. And what did that Kyoya boy mean by host activities? Are they part of some welcoming committee? But, before Audrey could let her thoughts continue the teacher walked in and began class.
The school day had flown by before Audrey even had a chance to process what had happened. The classes had just been full of introductions and sharing of an outline of what the students would be learning during the year. Lunch had been uneventful for Audrey for she had found a happy seat by herself to do some reading. She had told herself she would put a hold on her suitor searching for at least to first month. She needed to get her footing at Ouran Academy again. The building structures were set up the same as she remembered but the students were far more different. Afternoon classes flew by and the final bell signaling the end of the day came.
As Audrey left classroom 2-A, she realized she didn't have anything to do for the rest of the evening. No homework had been given since it was the first day and there was no rush to head home because for the year she would be living in a simple house by herself. I wonder if they have a dance club of some sort? Audrey thought as she wandering through the now empty hallways. Voices wandered through some classrooms as the students who were apart of multiple clubs conversed. Coming to the music wing, Audrey began peeking into some of the rooms. The first room just had a piano sitting beside itself. The second music room contained a bunch of orchestra instruments spread about the room. Both rooms were void of people. Reaching the third music room, Audrey noticed that it was also silent inside. Perhaps there was no point in trying this room at all. But, determined to find the dance club, Audrey turned the knob and opened the doors to Music Room Three. A blinding light blocked Audrey's line of sight for a moment as the door swung open. She smelled roses before she registered that the petals were flying past her. What was going on in this room?
"Welcome!" multiple voices said in unison, "To the Ouran High School Host Club."
Thank you so much for reading my first chapter of Kings and Queens!
What did you think? This is my first Ouran fanfic. ^^; I know some things might seem vague right now, but don't worry. I plan I tying up a lot of loose ends as the story progresses.
Now I need your help as readers! Not only do I want your advice, but I can't decide who I want Audrey to fall in love with. I adore all the hosts in the host club, which makes it so difficult for me to decide!
So, send me messages or just leave your vote in the reviews section! I'll keep the votes tallied and let you all know when the voting will come to a close.
Your options are: Tamaki, Kyoya, Mori, Hikaru or Kaoru.
I'm not putting Hunny in the running because that would be a little awkward and as for Haruhi, well duh! xD
Alright, thanks again for reading! Keep an eye open for the next chapter!
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