Summary: As much as she hated him for keeping her trapped and locked away from the world, she still loved her father, and she will bring honor to her family's name, no matter what the cost. He lost his honor and if she thinks it's easy to find, he'll show her what it takes to be a real man with honor. Mulan!Toph x Zuko. Toko.

Prologue

Gaoling, Earth Rumble VI

"AND HERE'S YOUR CHAMPION ONCE AGAIN, THE BLIND BANDIT!"

She rolled her eyes and gave the crowd a winning smile and waved. Toph couldn't deny that in all her 18 years, nothing sounded greater than the sounds of the crowd cheering her stage name. No matter how many times she had been through the same old process of kicking her opponent's butts, the sheer sounds of the crowd yelling and the vibrations of the stomping got to her. She loved every minute of it, but she didn't realise it was the last time this would happen for a long time. A very long time.

As the badgermoles cleared the ring, and the people had slowly started to leave, she stretched and made her way down the stairs. She was about to create her secret tunnel before she heard The Boulder and Xin Fu talk in hushed voices. Toph paused, and did what she did best, listened.

"You know that this is probably the last time we get a full crowd like this? The Boulder estimates that next week there probably won't even be a third of the usual audience attending after the new draft was made " - wait, what? Toph hadn't heard of any draft, but then again, she hardly knew what was going on in the outside world. Any information that she did get was either through the servants gossiping or through eavesdropping on the crowds and other opponent's conversations.

Usually Toph didn't have a second thought on the ongoing war, she had little interest in politics, however, if it was going to affect her only escape from home, she was more than interested to hear what this was about.

" What are you talking about, fool? What draft?" it was as though Xin Fu had read Toph's mind, and was voicing it out. She leaned in closer, certain they could not see her.

" The King in Ba Sing Se found out about some Fire Nation drill that tried to break the outer wall and has announced that every household contributes one man to join the armed forces. The Boulder is no exception to this. The Boulder will go fight the Fire Nation for his country, The Bould-"

The ring leader scoffed "HA, if that stupid figure head thinks that some drill is going to stop my competition, he's got a lot coming" Toph exhaled heavily, they were going to take a man from every household? The only man in her family was her father, and he was definitely not as young as he used to be. Lao Beifong had Toph in his 40th year, and he was not fit to go to war then, talkless of going to war at 58,

" Sorry, boss, but The Boulder isn't the only one who's going to join the troops" - that voice had belonged to Mole, who rarely ever spoke. It suddenly occurred to Toph that perhaps this was way more serious than she had expected. If shady underground earthbending opponents, who had no military experience and were practically off the radar from any government officials, were going off to war, that meant that the Earth King was desperate. More desperate than she could hope.

She had heard enough, she needed to leave and go home immediately. As she earthbended her way back home, her mind couldn't stop thinking of her father. Sure, she hated him and the way she treated her, as though she was helpless and blind and fragile, but she knew that deep down, just as her mother would remind her every now and again, he loved her and was just protecting her.

Any other time Toph would scoff and feel her blood boil, but the sudden prospect of never hearing her father's voice, or the way her tickled her cheek as though she was four when she was really upset at him after a screaming match in his effort to make her laugh and make amends, brought tears to her eyes. But she refused to cry.

"Damn it!" she blinked hard and fast to make sure the droplets wouldn't fall. She was Toph Beifong, there was no way she was going to cry. Besides, what if they saw that her father was old, and had to take care of his blind daughter and provide for his family, they definitely couldn't take him away, right? Whatever, she wasn't going to let this plague her mind, because the longer she thought about it, the more her emotions wanted to express themselves, and she was not going to let that happen tonight.

XxxxxxxxxxX

" Wake up,Toph, arise and shine ~~" Toph groaned long and loud, and could hear the tutting of her favorite servant, Jinjing, who was currently opening the silk curtains.

"JinJing, when will you remember that I am blind and cannot see the oh so beautiful rays of sunshine that you seeing people go on about" she buried herself deeper into her soft sheets and pillows, she was way too tired for this. Toph had barely slept last night, though she had told herself she was not to think about that conversation she had heard, her mind had kept on making scenarios that she wished she had never thought of. If only she hadn't been noisey, if only-

" Toph, your parents have already started breakfast young lady! Now, get out or I'll drag you out!" Jinjing proceeded to rip off the bed sheets, making Toph curl up into a ball, calling out curses that would make her own mother faint. Jinjing took hold of the earthbenders slender leg,and pulled with her might.

"Okay, okay, OKAY! I'm up! Quit it" Despite the harshness, Toph had laughter in her tone. Jinjing was like a big sister to her, who understood her and had often listened to her rant ever since she was 12, they had broken the formal wall that had been between them a long time ago, and Toph was grateful for Jinjing.

"Right, let's get you washed up and beautiful like the heiress that you are"

XxxxxxxxX

" Look who finally decided to show up, you know that this will be unacceptable for your future husband right? JinJing, will you please show Toph where her chopsticks are? Thank you " Poppy Beifong had no problem bringing Toph's tardiness up, and with that the upbringing of marriage she had been doing for the past month - which was slowly but surely getting on Toph's nerves.

" Your mother is quite right Toph, your husband will not like for you to have no regard for punctuality. In fact, I think it's high time to discuss potential suitors, I heard General Huan's son has-"

"Dad, there's no way I'm marrying him, he's shorter than me, and I'm short, besides, wouldn't he want to follow in his father's footsteps, by joining the military?" she cringed at the thought of marrying Huan's son, he was just unappealing in every possible way, but she was grateful her father had brought him up. She had not brought up the military for no reason.

"OH! That reminds me dear, have you heard about the draft King Kuei sent out? He wants one man out of every household to join the Earth forces, there's no way that they can take you, you've become weak over the years!" Toph knew it was time to interject,

"Wait, the Earth King sent out a draft? Even if they wanted to take Dad in his state, he still has no military experience right? There's no way they would take him" This was good that she had directed the conversation to her father's position on the matter, she needed to put her mind to rest, and hopefully her father had some reassuring news.

" Well it's nice to know that both of you think I'm an old weak man, it really boosts my self esteem. And just so you know little lady, I do have military experience - before you were born, every man in his 20s had to do a mandatory year in the military, I even have the uniform and sword to prove it, perhaps it's in the attic somewhere. Anyway that was a long time ago. I shouldn't put these thoughts in your precious mi-"

"Sir, General Huan is outside in the streets and he has proclaimed for everyone to come out!"

Toph sucked in a breath quietly as her mother gasped and Lao scowled. Without a moment's notice they had left the dining area, and had reached the gates of the Beifong estate, where fate would change Toph's life as she knew it.

A/N: Hey there, so during this crazy time I thought I would wright an idea that has been in my mind for a long time, not only because I'm excited for the new Mulan movie to come out, but I recently rewatched ATLA and came back to the fandom (should've never left!). Please review and let me know what your thoughts are. Btw I thought I would age everyone up just so the story goes a bit more smoothly, but be warned, the story will get darker from here (at least that's my vision for it). I don't have a beta reader so sorry for any mistakes (also my first fanfic, eek!). See you next time !

P.S Zuko and the GAang will appear in the third chapter or so, so don't worry!