Chapter 2: Benjamin Sisko and Benny Russel
Prince Benjamin Sisko, with his friends, Jadzia Dax, daughter of the king's body guard, and Worf, the son of the Klingon ambassador in class listening to their teacher Professor Spock.
"So to review everyone, all triangles have three sides." Spock said simply. "And the relations between these sides are known as ratios."
As Spock talked, Benjamin looked out the window and saw several small children having a snowball fight outside. Benjamin would give anything to be outside with Jadzia and Worf having fun instead of all these tiresome duties.
"Now sire," Spock said, interrupting Benjamin's thoughts. "If you could give me your full attention like Worf and Jadzia, name the three sedimentary trigonometric ratios. You may begin."
Benjamin smirked at Worf who smiled back, and they pulled out spit balls and straws.
"Oh no." Jadzia groaned.
"Cotangent." Benjamin said as he blew a spit ball that landed right on Worf's face.
"Ouch!" Worf called out in a loud whisper.
"Secant." Benjamin continued as he blew another spit ball at Worf that caught him in the forehead.
"Oh, by the hand of Kahless." Worf whispered.
"Oh, what is it?" Benjamin muttered. "What is it?"
"My turn." Worf said as he blew a spit ball that Benjamin dodged and blew back at him.
"Conical." Benjamin finished.
"Oh, grow up you two." Jadzia groaned.
"Now sire," Spock said as calmly as always. "We've been over this time and time again. It's hypotenuse. Hypotenuse."
Jadzia then smirked and grabbed her own straw, finally landing one on Benjamin.
"Nice." Benjamin said.
"Yes Miss Dax." Spock said. "You all made very nice shots at each other, but play time's over. Hand them over, you three."
Benjamin, Worf, and Jadzia all handed Spock their straws.
"You can have these back after lunch." Spock said plainly. "In the meantime, Benjamin, you know your father is ill and needs rest and quiet. Now I know it's hard to only have time to yourself when you go to sleep, but that's the sacrifices required for a king to be fully capable of ruling a kingdom."
Suddenly, he heard a scuffle outside. He opened the door to see Dukat holding a boy down.
"Now, I believe trespassing is worthy of maybe a year or two in the dungeons." Dukat said calmly.
"Captain!" Benjamin called out. "What's the meaning of this outrage?!"
"Just some riff-raff who managed to crawl into the grounds, sire." Dukat said oily.
"Gul Dukat, my father always taught me that even the lowliest subjects of this kingdom deserve respect." Benjamin countered. "Have him brought to me at once."
Benjamin then left for the hallway where he and this poor fellow would meet.
()()()()()
"Oh, the prince wishes to see you." Gul Dukat said to Benny. "Allow me to get you started."
Gul Dukat then kicked Benny right to the front doorstep of the palace.
Benny weakly walked inside as he groaned.
I'm gonna feel that in the morning. Benny thought. Today hadn't been his day.
()()()()()
Benny looked around a large hall filled with tapestries and suits of armor.
"Wow." Benny remarked in awe. He then looked down and saw his reflection in the floor. "Man, this place is clean enough for an operating room."
Benny smiled and walked around.
"I'm a pretty big guy. Give me a pizza pie." Benny hummed when he slid and crashed into two suits of armor with a helmet ending up landing on his head.
"Hey, what's going on out here?" A boy asked as a helmet landed on his head. "Worf, if this is your idea of a joke, you need a new sense of humor."
Benny walked up to the boy and saw that they were of the same height. The two lifted up their helmets and took a peak at each other before Benny recognized the same brown eyes. The other boy must have noticed too because he backed away also. Eventually, the two pulled the helmets off and looked at each other. They not only had the same eyes, they looked perfectly alike. They walked around each other and starred in disbelieve.
"You look just like…" They both said at the same time and in the same voice. "I thought you were…"
"Wait, wait, wait a second." The boy said. "Let's get things settled down. I'm Prince Benjamin, and who are you?"
"Benny Russel." Benny said timidly. He'd never met the prince before, and he now understood why the guard had let him in. He had mistaken Benny for the prince.
"Well, Benny, I owe you one." Benjamin said with a smile.
"How do you figure?" Benny asked.
"I was about to die of boredom in my class this morning." Benjamin said with a smile. "Do you know what it's like to be the prince?"
"It's gotta be a lot easier than being a peasant." Benny remarked. "All I live in is an old shack with my best friends Julius and Kat, and my girlfriend Cassie."
"Well I don't get a moment to myself." Benjamin said as he began rounding off what appeared to be his schedule. "Breakfast at seven. Lessons until lunch."
"Oh lunch." Benny groaned. "I haven't been able to have an actual lunch since I was seven."
"Fencing until tea time!" Benjamin continued on.
"Cool." Benny remarked. "Like the three musketeers."
"And every night, banquet after feast after banquet." Benjamin ranted.
"Bet you never go hungry." Benny countered as his stomach growled again.
"And then nine o'clock on the button, bed time!" Benjamin finished.
"Oh, bed." Benny groaned as he laid his head on the prince's pillow. All he, Julius, Kat, and Cassie had were ragged blankets and a couch cushion a piece.
"Say what you like, but I envy your freedom." Benjamin sighed.
"I envy your diet." Benny countered as he walked up to a mirror Benjamin was staring at.
"Yes, but you can hang out with your friends all day long." Benjamin retorted, and Benny couldn't deny that. "No studying dreary old books. Staying up as late as you like and eating junk food. Oh, if I could take your place for just one day, I'd be content… Hey… Wait a minute."
"What?" Benny asked.
"That's it!" Benjamin remarked.
"What's it?" Benny asked again.
"Don't you see?" Benjamin asked. "I'll take your place while you take mine. I'll hang out with your friends in London while you'll be the prince."
Benjamin took Benny aside and quickly switched clothes with him, and Benny found himself in Benjamin's clothes. A red with a black jacket with gray shoulders and black pants. Benny looked at Benjamin, and he was wearing Benny's clothes.
"But I can't be the prince!" Benny protested. "I can't see a thing without my glasses!"
"Try these." Benjamin said as he took Benny's glasses and gave him a pair of contact lenses that acted just as well as his glasses.
"How would I act?" Benny persisted.
"Don't worry." Benjamin said as he took out the lenses and put on Benny's glasses. "The only things you absolutely have to say for the day are, 'That's a great idea. I'm glad I thought of it.' And, 'Guards, seize him!'"
"But your father." Benny continued to protest. There were so many things that could go wrong with this idea. "The king!"
"I'll be back by tomorrow morning." Benjamin assured Benny. "And if there's trouble, all will know me by this.
Benjamin held up his ungloved hand to show a golden ring with a sapphire that sparkled like space.
"Wow." Benny gaped. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"You'll do fine, Benny." Benjamin assured Benny. "You're looking like a prince already. Good-bye Benny."
"Uh… Good-bye… Benjamin." Benny said nervously. "You won't forget to come back, right?"
()()()()()
Benjamin smiled at Benny before hopping down and walking off whistling as he walked past Dukat.
"Hello Captain." Benjamin said calmly.
Dukat grabbed Benjamin by his shirt and held him up.
"Well, if it isn't the prince's little double." Dukat said as he held Benjamin up. "I'll teach you to embarrass me in front of the prince."
"Actually Gul Dukat, I am the prince." Benjamin said quickly as a test to see how well the switch had gone off.
"Heh." Dukat smirked. "Sorry little man, but I'm not as gullible as Glinn Rusot."
Dukat tossed Benjamin over the wall, and Benjamin landed right on the ground.
"Sayonara sucker!" Dukat called out.
"Wow." Benjamin remarked. "That was easier than I thought. I'm free! I'm free! I am good."
"Benny!" A girl's voice called out, and Benjamin saw a girl about his age with brown eyes and long black hair run up. "Benny, are you alright?! When Julius told me and Kat you'd gone into the castle, I was afraid I'd never see you again. Now-"
The girl starred at him.
"Who the heck are you?" The girl asked in suspicion.
"Oh." Benjamin said nervously. This had to be Benny's girlfriend, Cassie. "Why Cassie, I'm Benny of course."
"Then how come you're holding yourself so differently?" Cassie asked. "Benny's always so relaxed, and you're so stiff."
"Benny, there you are!" A slim boy with brown hair called out as he rushed up with a red haired girl with brown eyes. "I thought you'd be dead, pal."
"Oh… Yes." Benjamin said as the boy looked like Will Scarlet and his wife from the Robin Hood stories. "That's me. Benny Russel."
"Now my dear people, I'm pretty bad with names at the moment." Benjamin said, hoping this wasn't one of Benny's friends. "Could I have your name?"
"What's the matter with the one you've got, Benny?" The girl asked. "It's us, Julius and Kat."
"Oh of course, Kat!" Benjamin said. "How have you two been?"
"Did Dukat throw you out on your head or something?" Kat asked.
"Uh…" Benjamin said as he tried to think up a good alibi.
"Oh, don't worry pal!" Julius said with a smile. "We know it's a joke. You always use a smile to get out of bad situations."
"Well, I've got to get going." Benjamin said. "I'll meet you back here around 7 or so to head back home."
"Hey Benny, wait!" Julius called out as Benjamin walked off quickly. Benny's girlfriend was already suspicious, and he didn't want to risk Julius and Kat catching on unless he had to.
()()()()()
Cassie watched the boy, Kat, and Julius go off. She then looked back at the castle.
"Benny, where are you?" Cassie asked as she stayed there to think.
She had known Benny for three years, and she had been Benny's girlfriend long enough to know that something was up, and that boy definitely wasn't Benny, so that meant that Benny was still in the castle, somewhere.
Well, that was a nice meeting, wasn't it?