That night, I staggered back into the laboratory with a slash at my side.
Immediately, Lilly helped me onto the bed we had down there for emergencies like these. She peeled off my suit and began cleaning the wound. I winced in pain as she dabbed at my open wound with the alcohol.
"This is really deep, Mia," She said concernedly. "What happened?"
"I had caught an armed robber coming out of a small apartment. I took him down and gave the sack back to the family. I thought he was knocked out, but he took a knife and he stabbed me in the side when I had my back turned."
"Did he get away?"
"Unfortunately yes," I grimaced as she continued to clean the wound. I was also very lucky that Lilly was once a paramedic.
After it stopped bleeding a little, she applied a salve to the wound and wrapped my stomach with the bandages. "It's not so deep that you'll need stitches, but it's still pretty bad. Take it easy, okay? That means no Phantom Phoenix for at least two days."
"What?" I cried. "I need to go out there, people are getting hurt!"
"But now you're hurt," She replied soothingly. "I think it's time you take a little break anyway. Besides, if you continue to fight in this condition you'll only get worse and you won't be ever be able to fight again. Is that what you want?"
I slowly shook my head. What choice did I have?
She brought me a change of clothes and helped me put them on. "How are you going to explain this one?"
I winced as I raised my arms. "Is it really so hard to believe that someone would stab me in the side?"
"Yes. Especially since you're supposed to be in the palace at night anyway."
I shrugged that off. "I'll just try not to show it. I'll be fine."
I got up tentatively and walked around a little. It was extremely painful, and I had to lie back down after only ten minutes. "On second thought, how about you just tell the public that I'm bed ridden for a few days."
"Sure thing."
She helped me out of the lab and into my bedroom, tucking me in and turning off the light as she left.
That night, I had terrible nightmares. I dreamt that father and I were taking a stroll down the streets when the same robber that had stabbed me stabbed my father. He was writhing in pain, face down on the concrete. When I turned him over, it was no longer him.
It was me.
I was dying.
I woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. I felt a searing pain in my side and I clutched it tightly, trying to ease the pain away.
I reached over to my bedside table and shakily took the glass of water. After I took several gulps, I calmed down.
Then I started crying again. I feel so alone. I mean, I know I have Lilly, but she's got her family. Who do I have? Grandmère's barely a comfort. Upon hearing the conditions in Genovia, my mother no longer wanted anything to do with me.
I didn't have anyone.
I know superheroes are supposed to be loners, they're supposed to be stand-offish so as to not get anyone that's close to me hurt. But sometimes, I'd give up the suit and the name for just one day when I could have someone that I could really talk to, I could really communicate to. I wanted my father back.
I took the picture frame of my father off my desk and held it close to me. I missed him so much. I wish he were here to comfort me, to tell me what I'm doing is right.
I needed support strength, because sometimes my own strength wasn't enough to get me through the day.
The next day, Lilly brought up my regular blueberry muffin and orange juice. "You're in the news today," She said as she handed me the paper.
I looked at the front page. The headlines read in bold ink: Princess Mia: Secretly Dating Prince Harry? Underneath was a picture of us from the meeting we had last week.
I snorted as I turned the page, ignoring the story. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Prince Harry isn't even that cute to begin with."
She laughed as she took a seat next to my bed. "Are you alright?"
I nodded. "I'm fine. My side still hurts, but not as much as last night."
"I'll have to clean it again later today and change the bandages."
"Cool."
"Do you need anything else?"
"Yeah. Could you bring me some work, please?"
"I don't think you should, Mia. I think you should rest."
"I'm not going to waste two perfectly good days doing nothing, Lilly. If I can't work out, then I want to work. Please?"
She rolled her eyes and walked out of my room to find me something to do.
I continued reading the paper when I found a story on Michael, Lilly's brother. They described him as an up and coming hot shot lawyer who was taking the law by storm.
I snorted as I threw the paper aside. He hadn't even won his first case. The guy may be good, but he was just gonna get stuck in the same rat race that I've been in for the past seven years. The only reason the paper was complimenting him so much was because he was hot and the editor is an over-sexed, middle aged woman with no excitement in her life. Trust me, I met the woman.
After doing the crossword, I put it away and Lilly came back with a file. "Here. This was some of the issues discussed at the Parliamentary meeting. Mainly the budget. Since barely any of it was spent, the money is going—"
"Directly into their pockets," I cut her off. "I'll find a way to use the money. Doesn't the downtown library need money for more books?" And I immediately set to work. Just because I had very little power left to me, doesn't mean I wasn't going to use it.
I continued to work until lunch. When Lilly brought me my food, she seemed rushed and anxious. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing, nothing. Sorry, Mia, I can't stick around long. I have to go see to something."
I nodded, slightly confused. Just as she was about to get up and run out of my chambers, Michael walked in.
"Oh, sorry," He said. "Didn't mean to intrude or anything. I didn't think you would still be here. In bed." He frowned disapprovingly.
Immediately I bristled. "For your idforbashud, I'b sick," I retorted, trying to make my voice sound stuffed up.
"I'd hardly call a little cold sick, Your Highness," He said snobbily.
"Michael, stop it," Lilly reprimanded. "What did you want?"
"I was wondering if you could give me any background and Allen Tillman. He's the rapist I'm prosecuting tomorrow."
"Why would the palace have ady backgroud idforbashud od rapists?" I growled.
"I don't know, but my sister Lilly here knows everything."
"Sorry, I don't have anything on him, Michael. Why don't you just check his public records?" She suggested.
"I already did. Didn't say much."
"How about you try talking to him?"
"He just kept muttering something about Phantom Phoenix, about how he was going to get her as soon as he busted out of prison." He seemed to get excited. "Oh, by the way, did you hear she got injured? Some crazed robber was going around, bragging how he stabbed Phantom Phoenix."
"Oh, whad a tragedy," I said sarcastically. To keep my cover, I played the part of a jealous female who claimed the masked hero was stealing all the good men.
"Hey, she's the only one left fighting for justice in Genovia," Michael shot at me. "She's the only one who gives a damn. Unlike you, still sitting in bed at noon."
I rolled my eyes. "Don'd talk aboud whad you don'd know."
"I know plenty, Your Highness," He said the title like it was poison on his tongue.
"He's just got an obsession with her," Lilly added with a smirk.
"I do not!" He yelled as he blushed furiously.
"Yes you do," She said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room. "She needs some rest. Mia, if you don't need anything, I'm going to help Michael out with his case, alright?"
I nodded and went back to the budgeting situation.
Later that night, Lilly managed to help me move to the lab and she cleaned my wound and changed my bandages. "So the rapist that Michael's prosecuting tomorrow is the same one you caught."
"Really?"
"Yeah. We put up a strong offence, but I'm not sure if it'll work."
"Who's the Judge?"
"Judge Hillbourne."
"He might stand a chance then," I said as I looked down at my wound. It didn't look too bad. I might be able to move a little easier now.
She looked at me seriously. "Mia, I know that my brother acts like a total jerk to you," She began.
I snorted. Understatement of the year.
"But he really does care about Genovia."
"Yeah. I caught onto that when he accused me of doing nothing to help."
We sat there quietly for a while, then I asked, "Lilly? Can you bring me the suit? I need to mend it."
She got up and brought the suit back. When I wasn't wearing it, it was no bigger than a CD case. It was a convenient little feature, so whenever I happened to have it in bag or something, people wouldn't suspect anything. I pulled a sewing kit from underneath the bed and searched for the rip in the fabric.
Lilly watched me for a little while, and when she got bored, she went over to the mega computer and hooked up to one of the security cameras outside King Tower. "What's going on?" I asked.
"Nothing much…wait…"
I looked up. She was staring at the screen intently. "A woman's being mugged," She said grimly.
I was about to strip and put my suit on, but I stopped, remembering that I could barely move. I gritted my teeth as my hands started shaking. I could barely hold the needle steady. This sucked.
"I know how hard it is for you to stand by and watch," She comforted.
I slowly got up and limped forward. "I think I'm going to bed early." I couldn't stand watching the crime on the streets happen without feeling guilty for not being able to stop it. I was Phantom Phoenix, damn it! I should be out there, fighting that asshole.
When I got to my room, I gingerly lay down and turned over on my unwounded side. When people couldn't count on me, people couldn't count on anyone. I was the only one left.
I woke up the next morning to find my pillow soaked with tears.
"You have a state dinner tonight," Lilly informed me as she looked down at her clipboard.
I glanced up from the newspaper. "Are you kidding? I can barely walk."
"Not true, you can so walk."
"Well I can't dance."
"No dancing. Dinner only."
I rolled my eyes and nodded. "Alright."
"Michael's your escort."
"WHAT?"
"You have to attend the dinner with one of the new lawyers, remember? Michael's the only new lawyer lately."
I groaned and buried my head in the pillow. "I hate tradition! Who started that stupid custom anyway?" I meant this as a rhetorical question, I certainly knew who had started it, but Lilly always liked to remind me.
"Lady Rosamunde insisted that it is the responsibility of the currently reigning queen to get to know all the justice workers of Genovia. So she said that if the reigning queen was unmarried, whatever new and upcoming law worker was to be the escort for official dinners and such. Your grandmother changed it to only lawyers."
"I knew that," I muttered.
"Just thought you might need reminding," Lilly said as she gave me an annoying smile. She loved doing that; reminding me of things that I'd rather forget.
"Be sure to tell your brother that he has to be here on time. I will not tolerate delay."
She rolled her eyes, just like she always did when I got into royal mode. "Yes, Your Highness," She mocked.
"Does my wound need to be cleaned again? I don't want to start spontaneously bleeding in the middle of dinner."
"Let's take a look at it right now. I'm pretty sure the blood is clotting by now, but I'd like to make sure."
I slowly got out of bed and limped to my lab. I was moving faster than I was yesterday, but not by much.
"How in the world am I going to walk to dinner like this?" I whined.
"Be regal," Lilly said simply. "Just walk slowly, don't limp and hold your head up high. No one will notice."
She helped me into the bed and lifted up my pajama top. She unraveled the bandages slightly to take a look at it. "It's healing very fast. You should feel lucky. I'd say if you get enough exercise today, you might be able to fight crime tomorrow. I'm just going to apply a salve and change the dressings and you'll be fine tonight. I'll do it after you take a bath." And she rewrapped my wound.
I nodded. "Thank you, Lilly. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You want some ice for that bruise on your leg, then?"
I looked down. "Whoa…when'd I get that?"
"Mia, how the hell am I supposed to keep up with your wounds when you don't? I'm not out with you while you're on the streets."
"True."
She fetched the ice pack from the refrigerator (The lab is fully stocked. I sometimes live there when I know I'm not going to have any visitors. That rarely happens though) and gently applied it to my bruise.
"I think I might have gotten it when I banged my leg against the bed."
Lilly rolled her eyes. "Figures. You hit yourself not from hero work, but from walking in your room."
"Shut up."
I walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Soaking my wound in the hot bath water was almost therapeutic even though it hurt like crazy. Still, I could walk better and my limbs and muscles were less stiff from disuse.
I dried off and dressed in my underwear. Afterwards, Lilly dabbed some makeup on my scars and bruises to make them less visible and changed the dressings for my wound.
I got dressed just in time for Paolo to do my hair and makeup. "Ah, Princess. It is an honor. You rarely ever let me do you up anymore!"
I gave a weak smile, trying not to remind him that I didn't like getting "done up."
After he was finished, he turned my chair and said, "Voila! My best work yet, if I do say so myself."
I nodded. I looked okay, for me. I wasn't the most beautiful of people; compared to the Monacoan princess, I looked like a potato, but I was never really very vain. Perhaps when I was younger, but not now. Not when I had more important things on my mind.
I slowly walked out of my chambers and gracefully descended the spiraling staircase that led into the foyer. I found Michael standing next to Lilly near a pillar looking quite displeased and wanting to be anywhere but here.
When she spotted me, she grabbed Michael's arm and approached. "Announcing Her Royal Highness, Queen Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo," The court crier announced.
I gave a regal nod to everyone who bowed and walked to Lilly and Michael. "Hello, Michael," I said stiffly. He bowed and I curtsied, with some difficulty, but I managed.
"Your Highness," He grumbled as he held out his arm and I took it disdainfully. He led me into the foyer to begin small talk with the Prime Minister's stick thin, prima dona wife and plump and porky Baron Straussen.
After ten minutes, the court crier announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please step into the dining room, dinner will be served."
Michael offered his arm again and I took it, trying to ignore the strange tension between us.
I found my seat at the head of the table and his on my right. He grudgingly pulled my seat out for me and I sat down slowly, trying to ignore the searing pain in my side.
"Your Highness, you seem to be moving rather slowly today," Baron Straussen observed with cold eyes. "And my dear, you look so pale! I heard you had taken ill yesterday, I do hope you're alright."
I plastered a grin to my face and replied sweetly, "Yes, I was a little sick yesterday, and I'm still feeling slightly under the weather, but I'm feeling better now."
"You truly do live up to your duties, your highness," He replied with mock approval. "I greatly admire a woman of your conviction."
Michael snorted as he spread his napkin in his lap, but said nothing. I shot him an icy glare and he sneered back at me.
Baron Straussen noticed him and asked, "Why, aren't you that young lawyer that they featured in the Genovian Chronicles? My, I have been wanting to meet you."
Michael didn't smile back, he just stared blankly at him and replied, "Thank you."
"I am an alumni from Oxford myself," He said pompously as he gave a little smirk. "Tell me, how was your experience there?"
"Fine."
I could have kicked him, I swear. He was acting so stand-offish, it was making me sick.
I knew they would get around to politics before the main course. "So Your Highness, I hope you looked over our plans for the budget that we had discussed at the Parliament session when you were absent?" Prime Minister Lukas asked.
I carefully set my fork down and wiped my mouth daintily. I looked up and stared him straight in the eyes and said, "Yes, I have."
"Well, do you approve?"
Well aware that Michael was observing me closely, I replied, "No, I do not. I propose that we use the left over money in the treasury to add more books to the national library. This past year, a total of thirty new books were cataloged. Thirty, Prime Minister Lukas. How do you expect us as a country to promote global literacy when our own library is hopelessly out of date?"
He continued to flash me a fake smile. "Well that may be, Your Highness, but you still need to get two-thirds of the vote from Parliament to approve your proposal."
"I trust you will vote in the best interests of Genovia, then." I said coldly.
"I will." He replied just as coldly.
Just when I turned back to my soup, considering the subject dropped, I heard a deep voice say, "I think you should give the money to the hospital."
I looked up at Michael, surprised. "Why?"
He looked me in the eyes and said steadily, "The hospital is running out of supplies. They ran over the budget because they haven't gotten government funding in a while."
I raised my eyebrows. "I know. I signed the check for a donation of thirty million euros."
"Well, your highness, you needed two thirds of Parliament's signatures as well, and unfortunately, you didn't get it, so the check was not valid." Prime Minister Lukas said.
I whipped my head around and glared at him. "What? Why?"
"We gave them ten percent of the national treasury last year anyway." He said. "I thought that was enough to suffice."
"Apparently not," I retorted.
"Well that's the fault of those who are running the hospital isn't it? Overspending?"
My eyes narrowed. "Do you know how much money upkeep for a hospital costs? We cannot hope to provide sate-of-the-art medical care without paying for it! It's not overspending; they were paying the bare minimum!" I cried.
"Your Highness, please don't get upset. Some of our generous families will donate something to the hospital, I'm sure."
"What, like you?" I asked angrily as I stood up abruptly and threw my napkin in the chair. "I'm sorry, gentlemen, but I think I will turn in a little early tonight."
I strode quickly out of the dining room and up the spiral staircase to my chamber, trying desperately to ignore the paralyzing pain that seemed to go through my whole body and hating everyone downstairs at that moment.
A/N- I'm glad you like this story. Not much to say right now, so please review!