Disclaimer: These characters and places are owned by Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy... Sadly, neither of those are me.

Once, there was a girl, a pretty girl who loved to dance. The girl knew things, was smart, nothin' was hard for her. She wanted to go to school, a special school where they promised to take care of her, promised she could still dance. Told them her classes sometimes moved too slow for her, wanted to do something faster, on her level.

That's how they tricked the princess into coming to the tower. Told her she could dance, and wouldn't let her. Promised to move fast, but they moved faster than people ought to. Started hurting her, wouldn't let her see her brother. Locked the princess away in the very tiptop of the tower and wouldn't let her out. Made holes in her, took her dreams away.

When the princess asked to see her brother, they wouldn't let her, told her she could write to him. How could she tell her brother they were hurting her in a letter they would read? She figured out a way. Told him 'bout things they'd never done, jokes they'd never shared. She knew he'd figure them out. He was her brother and a very smart man.

One day, the knight came to see his princess. Came to save his damsel in distress. Asked them what they'd done to her, they told him awful things. Told him about the word, too, the very special word that made her go to sleep. Told him she had a special grace. He told them she had always loved to dance, and then they went to sleep.

The prince and princess escaped and found a castle. A pretty castle once you got to know it, with a nice king and a lovely court. But the princess was sleeping when they went to the castle. The king thought she was one of the prince's toys. The prince told him, the princess was his sister.

The bad man tried to steal her, and take her back to the tower. Her new king saved her, wouldn't let no harm come to her. Took her in, gave her a home. She was his little albatross. Brought him luck, good and bad.

The little albatross made the crew