THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES
Once upon a time, there was a king who had twelve of the most beautiful daughters in all the land. The king was very protective of his daughters, so every night when they went to bed, the king ordered that the doors be locked and that two guards be posted outside the room at all times. Despite this, every morning when the room was opened again, the princesses’ shoes were always worn through, and it was as though they had been dancing through the night. None of the king’s wisest men could figure out how this happened or where the daughters had been.
The king was so desperate for an answer that he made a proclamation: Anyone who discovered the secret and learned where the princesses went every night would be able to have his favorite princess for a wife and become the king’s heir. However, anyone who tried and failed for three days and three nights would be executed.
The first to take on the challenge was a prince from a neighboring kingdom. The palace threw a big party in his honor, and when it was time for bed, the prince was taken to the princesses’ room. The prince decided he would stay there all night so he could watch to see where the princesses went. However, the prince soon fell asleep. When he woke up in the morning, the princesses’ shoes had all been worn though. He spent the next night and the night after that trying to stay awake long enough to see where the princesses went, but every night he fell asleep, and the king ordered his execution. Several others attempted the task after hearing of the prince’s failure, but none succeeded.
It just so happened that an old soldier who had been injured in battle was passing through the kingdom. As he was walking, he met an old woman who asked where he was going.
“I’m not sure where I’m going or what I will do when I get there,” he said, “but I would like to find out where it is the princesses go every night, because then I might become king.”
“Well,” said the old woman, “that isn’t too difficult. All you have to do is avoid the wine the princesses give you and pretend to be fast asleep.”
Then the woman gave him a cloak and said, “This cloak will make you invisible, and you’ll be able to follow the princesses.”
The soldier felt that he could accomplish the task, so he went to the king and said he was willing to try.
The king ordered a party thrown in the soldier’s honor, and he was given gifts and food and rich wares. When evening came, he went to the princesses’ room where the eldest brought him a cup of wine. He secretly emptied the cup when the princess wasn’t looking and didn’t drink a drop. Then, he lay down and pretended to snore. The princesses waited until they thought he was fast asleep and proceeded to dress themselves in their finest gowns. The princesses were excited about the evening of dancing that was ahead of them, but the youngest princess seemed wary: “I don’t know what it is, but I have a bad feeling about all this.”
The eldest princess scoffed at her. “Don’t be so silly,” she said. “You’re always afraid. But just remember how many men have tried to learn our secret and failed. This soldier will be no different.”
When all the princesses were dressed and ready, they went to check on the soldier, who still seemed fast asleep. The eldest princess decided it was time to go and went to the head of her bed. She clapped three times, and a trapdoor swung open. The soldier saw them going through the trapdoor, put on his cloak, and followed them. He was in such a hurry that he accidentally stepped on the youngest princess’s dress on the way down the stairs, and she screamed. The eldest asked what was wrong.
“Someone stepped on my gown!” the princess said.
“Don’t be stupid,” her sister responded. “You just got it caught on a nail. There’s no one else down here, and the soldier upstairs is fast asleep.”
They reached the end of the stairs, and the soldier saw the most beautiful grove of trees. The leaves were all made of silver, and the soldier decided to take one back with him. He broke off a branch, but the youngest princess heard the noise.
“Did you hear that?” she asked her sisters. “I’ve never heard that sound before.”
“It’s only the princes,” the eldest responded. “They are so excited to see us.”
They came to a second grove of trees where the leaves were all made of gold. Then they came to a third grove with trees that had leaves of diamonds. The soldier broke off branches from each type of tree, and the youngest princess became more and more anxious. Finally, they made it to a large lake where there were twelve boats that contained twelve handsome princes.
Each of the princesses went into one of the boats, and the soldier decided to stow away with the youngest. As they were rowing, the prince said, “I’m not sure why, but the boat seems heavier today.” The princess responded that it was only the heat, and they kept rowing.
On the other side of the lake, there was a beautiful castle, and the soldier could hear sounds of music wafting across the water. The boats landed, and the princes and princesses went into the castle. They danced into the wee hours of the morning. By then, the princesses’ shoes were worn out, and they were forced to leave. The princes rowed them back, and the princesses promised to return the next night.
When they got to the stairs, the soldier ran ahead and lay down in his bed. The princesses could hear him snoring, so they changed out of their gowns and went to bed. The next morning the soldier said nothing in the hopes that he could see more of the strange world. He returned with the princesses the second and third night, and they again danced until their shoes were worn thin. On the third night, he took a golden cup to prove to the king where he had been.
The next morning, the king summoned the soldier to the throne room. The king asked if he had discovered where the princesses went every night. The soldier responded, “Yes. They dance with twelve princes in a castle underground.” He then told the king all that he had seen and presented the silver, gold, and diamond branches as well as the golden cup.
The king called for his daughters and asked if what the soldier said was true. When they saw the branches and the cup, they confessed. The king asked the soldier which he wanted for his wife, and, as the soldier was not a young man, he chose the eldest. They were married that same day, and the soldier was named the king’s heir.
________________
Adapted from Grimms’ Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm.
Grimm, Jacob, and Wilhelm Grimm. "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." Grimm's Fairy Tales. Trans. Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes. Project Gutenberg, 2008. Web.
