Happy Friday, my friends! Here I am with a new story! I know I have other stories to finish. But I've been bogged down with my new job, and writers' block. In the meantime, though. I did want to start on an idea I've thought about for a while.

As you can probably tell by the title and synopsis, this is a Prince and the Pauper type of story. Rudy meets a young prince who bears a strong resemblance to him. The two decide to switch places for a week and see just how the other lives. How will it play out? Let's find out!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's. Those being the royal family of Umoja.

Chapter 1: Royal Visitors

'Royal Family of Umoja visiting Philadelphia'

'Queen Constantina and 3 children traveling overseas'

'Umoja royals traveling for first time since death of King Chadwick'

These were just a few of the headlines in the news. Almost all of North Philly was buzzing about the idea of a royal family visiting their city. It wasn't every day that something like that happened. On TV, in magazines, and in the newspaper was a story about the event.

"'The family will be staying in the Queen's family manor for a week, and they are expected to be present at this weekend's fair.'" Fat Albert read the article to his friends in the clubhouse that afternoon.

"That's so cool." Harold spoke, "A royal family coming to stay here in town."

"But I've never heard of Umoja," Bucky added.

"It's a Bantu term." Bill answered, "Swahili for 'Unity'. And I read up about it. Umoja is a small island close to Africa too."

Russell looked at his brother, "But why are they coming here? Wouldn't they rather go somewhere more... fancy than North Philly? Not saying the city is bad, but..."

Albert smiled, "Well. I heard that the Queen actually was born and raised here. Her family migrated from Africa."

"H-Hey. D-Do you think we'll get to meet the queen?" Donald asked.

Rudy grinned, "I sure hope so. Why not grace the young royals with my presence? Especially if the princess is looking for a prince...?"

The other boys rolled their eyes at their friends' ever so 'charming' ego. Russell smirked, "Because we want to make a good impression. Not an impression that shows no class."

"Funny, shrimp..."

"Hey, hey, hey." Albert looked at the newspaper again, "Tomorrow might be our lucky day. It says that the family will be arriving here tomorrow morning, and they're expecting people to be waiting outside the gates of the manor."

"Then we gotta get there early so that we can see them front and center!" Rudy declared.

All of the boys agreed with that. Tomorrow would be one chance out of many this week to see a royal family for the first time up close. What other people would get that chance? Aside from maybe people who live in the same place or kingdom as that royal family.

And who knows? Maybe they'll get to even meet them as well.

What an exciting thought?

The next day saw the gang getting up as early as possible to prepare for the big arrival. Thanks to Albert's dad, they were able to get the address of the manor, so they knew exactly where to go.

To their dismay, however, there was already a crowd of people at the gate. Some of them they recognized as their classmates and friends from school. Also, there was a camera crew, and many photographers, Looks like everyone was eager to see this royal family. One of them, being their friend, Margene, approached the boys, "Hey, guys. Are you here to see the royal family too?" She asked.

Albert nodded, "We sure are. And we can tell that practically the whole town is here too."

"Yeah. Last I heard, they should be here in fifteen minutes."

Fifteen minutes?

That was plenty of time to prepare.

So while the boys stood with everyone else, they took the time to observe the manor. It was almost as big as a castle, almost even looked like a castle, three stories high, and made with red bricks. A balcony sat on the very top floor. Surrounding the outside area were flower beds of all kinds, and high bushes complemented the pathway. All in all, the place looked spectacular.

"Now this is a place I would love to live in." Rudy said as he stared at the manor in awe.

"We could all live in it." Harold added, "Look how big it is."

"I could finally have my own room in there." Bill sighed, earning him an amused look from his brother.

"Heyb." Mushmouth spoke up, "Dob youb think we'll beb able tob meetb the fambliy?"

"Hey, hey, hey. Anything's possible." Albert replied, "Since they're supposed to be at the fair this weekend, we might have a chance to see them."

Bucky nodded, "Yeah. But they might be surrounded by royal guards all the time."

"True..."

A few more minutes passed, before all of the sudden, there was loud cheering coming from the crowd. The boys were at first confused until they looked forwards the direction of the road. Approaching were two police officers on motorcycles in front, and behind them was a black limo. Now the gang got excited. The royal family was here! They watched as the limo stopped in front of the gate, waiting for it to be opened. The crowd cheered and waved, welcoming the visitors to their home city.

Two men in suits stepped by and pulled the gates wide open, allowing the vehicle to pass through. Once the gates closed, everyone got closer in hopes of getting a glimpse of the family. The limo stopped in the very front of the manor. Two more suited men stepped out (one being the driver), and opened the doors, and a few people stepped out, giving everyone a far away, yet clear view of the family at last.

First was a tall woman, her hair braided and sitting on top of her head in a bun, which was surrounded by a golden band, similar to a crown. She wore a purple dress with accents and patterns and many pieces of jewelry. Behind her were three children, two girls, and a boy. The boy appeared to be the oldest, wearing a dark blue suit. Next to him was a girl who was smaller than him, reaching his shoulders at most. Her hair was curly with a silver headband, complete with a turquoise dress. Behind her was an even smaller girl, wearing a cyan-colored dress, her hair up in two curly puffballs held together by ribbons.

The boys couldn't believe it. This was the royal family of Umoja. They were really here!

And if they were just a little closer... they might have noticed something very... familiar with one of the children.

Despite being at the very back of the crowd, the dudes could faintly see the three children waving back at the North Philly residents. In response, they waved back, before seeing another woman approach the gate. She looked very formal, with a coat, a long skirt, and her hair in a neat bun.

"Alright, alright." She addressed with an accent that appeared to be Scottish, "I know you all are eager to see the Umoja family, but they have had a long journey from home to here. So we politely ask that you all go about your day. You will have a chance to see them... later."

Somewhat disappointed, the crowd understood and began to dissipate, including the boys. However, Rudy decided to attempt something as he approached the formal lady, "Excuse me, miss? But we all came early just to see the royal family in person. We just wanted to say hello."

"I apologize. But the family needs their rest." She replied, "So now is not a good time to disturb them."

"Who are you anyway?"

"My name is Bethany. I am the stewardess of the Umoja castle, advisor for the queen, and caregiver of the children. I keep up with everyone's schedule and make sure they are at the right place at the right time... on time."

"Is that so? Well, could you schedule a meeting for me and my pals to meet the family?"

Bethany gave the boy a dull look, "I don't make plans for younglings like you. So I suggest you run along now. You'll have the chance to meet the royals later. And when you do... make sure you have some class!"

Rudy gaped as the woman walked away, but huffed as he caught up with his friends.

"Guess we have to wait a little longer," Harold concluded.

"I wish we got to see them better." Bucky added, "They were so far away."

Albert smiled, "Well, there's still the fair this weekend."

Rudy sighed, "Man, I wish I was a prince. You get to have people waiting on you, awesome food, big comfy beds, and a big house. How awesome would that be, dudes?"

Russell rolled his eyes, "As if you don't already live that life, rich boy."

"Yeah, but I don't have butler and maids to do whatever I want, I don't own a castle or a big bed or have gourmet meals."

"Maybe. But you still have a nice home, good food, and two great parents who love you and care for you." Albert reminded him.

The rich boy looked at the other boys, who nodded in agreement. They definitely had a point, "I guess you're right... but I still wonder what it would be like to really live the royal life... even just temporarily."

Little did Rudy know, was that he may get that chance... sooner than he thought, all thanks to a bit of wind that blew past the boys.

"Hey! My hat!"

And that's the first chapter. I'll admit, it's not perfect, and it took me way longer than it should've to even complete it. But we get the royal family visiting North Philly, and Rudy wondering what it would be like to be a prince. Next chapter will introduce the family properly, and we'll get to know more about them. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you guys later, and as always, don't forget to review, please. Thank you.

PS: Did you notice that I added a certain name for the posthumous character mentioned?