Chapter 3: On the Other Side

Clark was looking at himself in the mirror.

"Man, if the gang could see me, now." Clark said with a smile when a man with brown eyes and a shaved head came in.

"Your highness, it's time for your royal duties." The man said simply as a boy that was blonde appeared with a girl with blonde hair and brown eyes who looked at him suspiciously.

"Hey sire, I'm looking forward to our fencing match after lunch." The blonde boy said. "For once I'm gonna prick you."

"We'll see." Clark said. He took a look at his list and saw that right at the top was falcon training. "Because I might not make it past the first thing on the list."

()()()()()

Kal-El rushed up to a snow ball fight with a snowball in hand when everyone tossed theirs at him, and he was covered from head to foot in snow.

"Well that was great." Kal-El said with a laugh. "I haven't done that since Laurel, Ollie, and I were kids."

()()()()()

At the castle, Kal-El removed the hood from a falcon. It glared at him angrily, and he rushed away for dear life.

"Hm." Laurel said. Kal-El never had any trouble with falcon training before.

()()()()()

Kal-El approached a dog in the streets that was gnawing on a bone. Kal-El took it and tossed it away.

"Fetch." Kal-El said. The dog looked at him angrily. "Uh-oh."

Kal-El ran away for dear life as the dog followed.

()()()()()

At the castle, Clark worked with an adhesive fluid Kal-El's friend Laurel had invented. The concoction ended up causing Oliver's face to get stuck by webbing.

"Oh my goodness!" Clark called out. "I'm so sorry! Let me help you with that!"

"No, I'm okay." Oliver said calmly. "It sure stinks though."

()()()()()

After escaping the dog, Kal-El ended up in front of a house as Captain Zod's second in command, Lieutenant Ursa, was pulling a chicken away from a young woman with black hair who had a boy of about eleven and a girl of four helping her.

"Leave my mommy alone!" The little girl yelled as she kicked Ursa in the shin.

"Ah!" Lieutenant Ursa shouted.

"Helena, no." The boy said. "Help me and mom get the hen away from this jerk.

"Relax you three." Lieutenant Ursa said with a smirk. "It's for the king."

"But it's all we have!" The woman protested.

"Well then it's all we'll take." Lieutenant Ursa said with a laugh.

"Stop!" Kal-El called out as he walked over. "As your royal prince, I command you to release that hen!"

Lieutenant Ursa just laughed.

"What's so funny?" Kal-El asked.

"Oh, forgive me, 'sire'." Lieutenant Ursa said with a smirk. "It appears you've lost your crown!"

Lieutenant Ursa then shoved a large pumpkin onto Kal-El's face as she went off with the hen.

"I can't believe it." Kal-El said in disgust as he took the pumpkin head off. "Stealing in the king's name."

"This happens all the time." The boy said.

"The king takes all our food away." The little girl, Helena, said.

"Thanks for your help, dear." The children's mother said. "I'm Selina, and these are my children, Terry and Helena."

"Mommy, I'm hungry." Helena said as she tugged on her mother's dress.

"I know sweetie." Selina said as she put on arm around Helena's shoulder. "I know."

Just then, a whip cracked, and Kal-El heard one of the guards, Non, driving a carriage full of apparently stolen food.

Kal-El looked at the royal ring and put it on his finger as he got in front of the wagon.

"Stop right there!" Kal-El called out. "I am Prince Kal-El, and I command you to surrender your entire stolen inventory."

"Yeah right!" Non shouted. "And I'm the queen mother! Get out of here, runt!"

"Will this help?" Kal-El asked with a smirk as he held up the royal ring.

"Oh… Shoot." Jax-Ur said with a groan.

()()()()()

"Give me a suckling pig to make my belly big." Roy hummed as he looked for Clark. "Now where can Clark be?"

He then saw Clark with a royal carriage full of food, and he was tossing it out to the people.

"I believe this will help you out until your husband's back on his feet Mrs. Wayne." Clark said as he tossed a huge turkey to a woman he knew was called Selina as she caught it. "Oh, thank you, Sire."

"Oh no." Roy said to himself. "Poor Clark's flipped his wig out of hunger."

Roy had to take him back home before he got into trouble, but it was too late. The royal guard arrived, led by Ursa and a huge giant of a man with black hair and blue eyes.

"There he is." Non said plainly as he pointed to Clark. "He's the one who showed me the ring, sir."

"You there!" Ursa called out. "You're under arrest!"

"Run for it, boy!" An old man called out as the entire crowd of peasants pelted the guards with fruits and vegetables.

As Clark ran for it, he was cornered by several guards.

"Hold on, pal!" Roy called out as he busted down a cart of barrels and rode on them to get to Clark quicker. "I'm coming!"

Roy rolled down the guards and used a low hanging banner to change direction and jump onto the cart.

"It's back home for us." Roy said with a sigh as he snapped the reins and the horse took off. "Ya-Hoo!"

()()()()()

In Zod's lair, deep in the dungeons, he drank and ate with Ursa as they laughed.

"Now I may be losing my mind captain," Ursa said as she calmed down before he let out one last, and random, laugh. "And I know you've told me that time and time again, but this boy acted like a nobleman, and he had the royal ring."

"The ring." Zod said as his eyes widened. "So it was the prince I kicked out."

"You kicked out the prince?!" Ursa asked with a mad laugh. "Oh, you're gonna get it! You're gonna get it! Nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah!"

Zod grabbed Ursa by her throat.

"I won't 'get it' if the prince doesn't come back, alive." Zod said as he smiled and got a devilish idea in his head. If the pauper was the prince, then the prince was the pauper.

()()()()()

Clark was practicing his fencing against a large suit of armor.

"Take that you vile fiend!" Clark said with a smile before Laurel and Oliver came in.

"Uh… Laurel, what are we doing here?" Oliver asked.

"You're not Prince Kal-El, are you?" Laurel asked.

"What?!" Clark asked nervously. "Of course I am. W-why wouldn't I be?"

Laurel's eyes narrowed, and Clark gulped.

"Uh… What's with that look you've got?" Clark said.

"HOLY CAP, "IT'S NOT THE PRINCE!" Oliver called out. "He doesn't know the look!"

"Uh-oh." Clark groaned. "Look, Kal-El and I met when he had me see him, and he got the idea for us to trade places, so he can experience life as a peasant. Please don't tell Irons. It'll all be over next morning when he comes back."

"Alright." Laurel said. "So, what do you think of this place?"

"Well some of this stuff is life threatening, but what life isn't like that?" Clark said. "I'm just happy that I got two good meals in today instead of one."

()()()()()

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Clark said, and Irons walked right in.

"Sire, your father is in his last hours, and he wishes to see you immediately." Irons said quietly and plainly.

"Oh." Clark said. "Well we better tell the prince, he ought to know."

"You are the prince, Kal-El." Laurel whispered.

"Oh yeah." Clark said nervously as he got upset. Neither he nor Kal-El had planned for the king to die that day. Kal-El would be crushed when he found out his dad had died, and he wasn't there.

"I'll let you go alone." Irons said as he left.

"I'll take you to him." Laurel said as she led Clark away.

()()()()()

Laurel and Clark left.

"Holy shoot, dude." Oliver said. "Could this day get any worse?"

"Hello, Human." Zod said as he appeared almost out of nowhere.

"Ah!" Oliver gasped. "Captain Zod!"

"Now, I'm afraid I need you out of the way for a bit while I arrange for a bright future for the House of Zod." Zod said darkly as he put a chloroform soaked handkerchief up to Oliver's mouth.

()()()()()

Clark walked down the hall with Laurel.

"So, what's wrong with the king?" Clark asked.

"He's gravely ill." Laurel said. "To be honest, I'm pretty sure Kal-El figured he'd be king by spring. He's going to be heart broken when he hears about his father's death."

"So, are you and Oliver going out?" Clark asked to pass the time.

"What?" Laurel asked. "Of course not. We're just friends."

"Sure." Clark said with a smirk before Laurel gave him another of her "looks".

"Well, here's his room." Laurel said.

"Okay, I'll just tell the king the truth." Clark said. "I'm sure he'll understand."

"My son…" The king said weakly. "Come closer."

Clark did so, and hearing the weakness and nobility of that voice, Clark didn't have the heart to tell him the truth.

"My son…" The king said. "From the day you were born, I have tried to prepare you for this moment. I shall be gone soon, and you shall be king."

The king extended his hand, and Clark took it.

"You must promise me… Promise me that you will rule the land from your heart, justly and wisely." The king said as his strength grew weaker.

"I promise." Clark said. He knew Kal-El would make the same promise in his place. Just then, as the king exhaled his last breath, the sole candle in the room went out.

()()()()()

Clark walked out of the room shivering.

"I've gotta find the prince." Clark said with a shiver and determination.

"Hello my faux prince." Zod suddenly said as he picked Clark up. "Now that our dearly departed king is finally out of my way, you'll do everything I say because if you don't…"

Ursa appeared, holding a bound Lois.

"Clark!" Lois called out.

"Lois!" Clark replied.

"Get the picture?!" Zod said with a dark smile.

()()()()()

At the hovel Clark, Roy, and Lois lived, Kal-El walked to the window and opened it as the church bells were ringing.

"Hey, what happened?!" Kal-El called out.

"The king is dead!" An old man walking below shouted out. "And the prince is to be crowned at once!"

"Dad…" Kal-El breathed. He was gone. He knew it was coming, but he still couldn't believe it. He breathed in and knew what he had to do. The Waynes and this whole village were just a taste of what had been going on all over England. He walked back inside where Roy was making some soup from Non's inventory.

"Soup's almost ready, Clark." Roy said. "I mean, Your Majesty."

Kal-El let Roy believe he was crazy ever since his save that afternoon, but the time for games was over. He slipped the ring back onto his finger.

"Now it's up to me to right the wrongs I've seen." Kal-El said. "Children going hungry. Corruption everywhere."

Roy turned and looked at Kal-El's ring.

"Whoa." Roy breathed. "You really are the prince, aren't you?"

Roy then bowed down.

"Sire, your wish is my command." Roy said.

"Roy, I owe you my life, and I won't forget that." Kal-El said. "Come on, pal. We must return to the palace at once!"

"Or to the dungeon!" Roy called out as he appeared at the door with all his men. "Get him!"

All of the guards caged Kal-El in with their spears as Roy charged at Zod, who tossed a dagger at him that got caught in his jacket and caused him to be tossed straight out the window.

"Oh… CRUD…!" Roy called out as he flew out the window, and a loud splash was heard from below.

"No." Kal-El sighed. Roy was gone and who knew what would happen to Clark once Zod had his way with Kal-El and the others.


Yes sir, things look pretty dark right now.