Chapter Four: The Coronation

At the palace, Zod held Kal-El by the scruff of his neck.

"Let me go!" Kal-El asked as Zod just laughed darkly. Kal-El had to do something. Clark and his girlfriend were in trouble. If Clark was crowned, Zod would use him as a puppet and simply have him killed when Clark wasn't useful anymore!

"Silence boy." Zod said. "Once your pauper of a double is crowned, it will be adieu for you."

Kal-El nervously held his neck as Ursa joined Zod in laughing. Inside the cell were Loana and Brainy.

"Get us out of here!" Loana called out. "You can't do this, Captain Zod! My father will realize I'm missing and-"

Zod simply tossed Kal-El at her as they both tumbled down the stairs and into Lex.

"You know, I really don't like that man right now." Lex said simply before he caught a look at Kal-El. "You're Highness! You're here! We're saved!"

At that moment, the door closed and Lex's eyes widened.

"Wait a minute." Lex choked. "You're in here too. We're doomed!"

Just then a fanfare could be heard from upstairs, and Kal-El knew what that meant.

"Oh no." Kal-El groaned. "It's the coronation."

()()()()()

The coronation hall was so large and impressive Clark couldn't help but stare at it. He was dressed in a blue shirt with a red cloak and a pair of red boots, and the s-shield on the shirt was much larger than the previous outfit he wore.

"Holy smoke." Clark said in awe.

"I know it's frightening, my lord, but we have to get this over with." Irons said encouragingly.

From behind the curtains, Clark saw Zod, yank a rope tied around Lois' neck very hard as she gasped.

()()()()()

In the dungeon, Kal-El, Loana, and Lex arrived at the door as Kal-El shouted at Ursa.

"This little charade of yours has gone on long enough!" Kal-El shouted. "Open this door immediately!"

"Oh, shut up." Ursa said as the door opened, and Kal-El saw a figure in a black outfit wearing a black mask with a silver version of the royal family crest on his chest.

"Well, looks like the boss isn't wasting any time." Ursa said with a sneer.

"Now I lay me down to sleep…" Lex prayed quickly as Loana gulped before the executioner slipped a bit too conveniently, so that the axe he was holding would have cut Ursa's head in two if she hadn't ducked in time.

"Hey, watch it!" Ursa called out.

"Sorry." The executioner said in a very familiar voice. He pulled the axe off and slammed the flat of it on top of Ursa's head so hard that the axe broke in two. "You wouldn't happen to have an axe I could borrow, would you?"

"Thank you." Ursa said in a dazed way as she kissed the executioner in the general area where his nose would be. "I've had a lovely evening."

"That went well." The executioner said as Ursa passed out, and he removed his hood to reveal Pete.

"Pete!" Kal-El called out.

"Just sit tight, sire." Pete said with a smile. "I'll get you and your friends out of there."

He then took the keys from Ursa's unconscious form.

()()()()()

At the throne room, Clark was sure Kal-El would arrive soon and stop the coronation, so he figured he'd better stall as long as he could.

"Well, be seated, sire." A middle-aged man with all gray hair said.

"Uh…" Clark said nervously. "After you."

"Sit down." The middle-aged man said with a bit more authority, and Clark slowly sat down in the chair.

()()()()()

"Now let's see." Pete said as he looked at all the keys. "Which one is it?"

Pete flipped through them trying to find a key that matched the cell's door handle.

Loana heard a whistle and looked from the door to see several guards approaching.

"Oh for goodness' sake!" Loana groaned as she grabbed the keys, thrust what she knew was the skeleton key into the lock, and they all rushed off.

As they rushed on, Pete noticed a large door and saw that one of the guards had thrown a knife that he was just barely able to stay in front of. He quickly grabbed it. As they arrived at the door, Pete thrust the knife into it and held onto everyone as the door thrust open, and while they all managed to hang onto the door, the guards fell out of the tower as Pete then used his strength to get the door closed.

()()()()()

At the coronation, Clark was getting more and more nervous.

"It is both my duty and pleasure to crown you-" the man began, but Clark moved his head, so that the crown missed coming down.

"To crown you-" the man said again. "Well you're a bit antsy today, aren't you?"

"STOP!" Clark called out.

"What for?" The man asked.

"I'm the prince, right?" Clark asked.

"Yes." The man said.

"So what I order has to be done, right?" Clark went on.

"Right." The man said.

"Well then, the captain's an insolent scoundrel!" Clark called out. "Guards, seize him!"

"Seize him!" Zod called out. "He's an imposter!"

All the guards held their spears to Clark.

"But I'm not, Zod!" Kal-El's voice called out as he appeared by a far up window and hopped down by swinging on the chandelier in the middle of the hall. As he swung down, he took a sword a guard was picking his teeth with.

"Thank you, guardsman." Kal-El said simply.

"Alright!" Clark called out.

"Wow." Lois remarked from the side.

"Wait a minute, your majesty." Zod said quickly. "I can explain everything."

"Alright, I'll wait for your explanation." Kal-El said as he put his sword away.

"Your majesty is too kind." Zod said with a bow as he grabbed the rug Ben was standing on.

"Look out, sire!" Clark called out as Kal-El jumped away from the rug and managed to keep a hold of his sword.

"Geronimo!" Pete shouted out as he swung down the chandelier before everyone fell off of it and landed on an archer who had prepared to shoot at Kal-El, but his arrow ended up severing the rope around Lois' neck.

"Oh, thank goodness." Lois sighed. "Let's get that creep!"

During the sword fight, Zod slashed at Kal-El left and right and had finally managed to disarm him when Loana and Lois suddenly appeared from nowhere and kicked Zod in both legs to cause him to drop his sword as he groaned.

"Don't worry guys!" Pete called out. "I've got that creep!"

Pete grabbed an arrow Lex had provided and shot it at a guard, causing him to be pinned to the wall.

As Kal-El and Zod resumed their fight, with Clark grabbing a sword Lois gave him to assist where he could, Lex grabbed a battle axe and cut the rope that held up the chandelier.

"Look out below!" Lex called out as several guards got strapped inside the chandelier which bounced as it hit the ground and ended up on its side, causing it to roll forward.

When Kal-El heard this, he cut off Zod's belt, causing his pants to slide down revealing boxers with black Zs on them. He looked behind him and saw the chandelier coming and rushed off, but he wasn't able to escape and ended up tripped by Clark and Kal-El as the chandelier took Zod and his men and caused them to crash into a wall unconscious and defeated.

"Oh boy, am I glad to see-" Clark and Kal-El said at the same time. "I mean, what a time I've-" They then sighed and laughed.

"Okay, exactly who's who here?" The man asked.

"This is Kal-El, Dad." Loana said as she held onto Kal-El's hand as Lois rushed forward and kissed Clark on the lips.

"Okay, this day just keeps getting better and better." Clark said with a smile.

"Alright then," Sul-Van said. "I crown you, King Kal-El of England."

Sul-Van put the crown on Kal-El's head, as he tilted it slightly for a bit more character.

And now we all sing… A toast to the king.

Everyone said as Pete handed Kal-El a scepter, and Clark pulled Kal-El aside and switched clothes, minus the crown of course, and returned in his regular outfit.

"To the king." Pete said with a smile as everyone made a circle around him.

"To the king!" Clark called out.

To his majesty the king.

Ah . . . (His majesty, his royal majesty.)

Long live the king, yeah!

And so with his loyal friends new and old, including his now closest friend Clark, at his side, the new King Kal-El ruled his land as he promised he would with justice and compassion for all.


Well that's the end of that.