Club-Tutu

Prince Siegfried had no time to be surprised when his last option but one succeeded. The thought of invoking the last uncertain magic, of piercing his own heart to release the feelings that would then be free to fight on their own, had been in the back of his mind ever since his first sight of the Raven that had ravaged his kingdom. But there was always the doubt – he might simply die, as any ordinary man must, and then everything that was left would be truly lost to the hideous greed of the enemy. Duty forbade it, yet. He did not permit himself to think of Princess Tutu; those reflections were for the peace before the Raven, or the pe

Once upon a time, mused Paolo, and not so very long ago, there had been the mules drawing the gaudy caravans, not the trailers pulled by whatever vehicles the Eleki Troupe could afford to maintain. True, though, that back in Uncle's day with his beloved horses and mules, they'd never have dreamed of touring so far as Bavaria. Paolo knew Goldkrone only by reputation. There was an Academy with a well- respected ballet program, as well as other arts divisions. He'd run across graduates over the years; if their quality were any indication, the Eleki Troupe should have a ready welcome. The theater they were to use was by all accounts a grand one,

The Prince hated as he had never hated before, and it was not enough. The Raven laughed at him, thinking only that when the Prince fell, the heart to be harvested would still taste the sweetest out of all the kingdom. And the Prince must falter soon; no mortal man could fight so hard for long. The Raven did not know, exactly, how he himself could be killed, and somehow he knew that the only thing likely to harm him was the Prince's sword. He did not question how he knew that it was magical. Still, though the Prince could summon brambles and flowers to speed him and hinder his enemy, though the forces of the Kingdom had given themselves in hi

"That's the worst stuff for you, you know," said the second- most irritating voice in the school. Duck lifted her eyes and managed a smile. "What say I remove some temptation? Mmmm. Still hot. Peppers and mushrooms. I commend your taste. You got cheated today, you know. And last month." Duck was ready to be cheered up, and Irina was better at it than Pique or Lillie. Since returning to the Academy, Duck had worked through the Beginners class. She certainly wasn't ready to displace any of the Advanced students yet, that would take years; but, if she did say so herself, Intermediate should have been within reach. She felt she had passed beyond