The Twelve Dancing Princesses

There was a king who had twelve beautiful daughters. They slept in twelve beds all in one room and when they went to bed, the doors were shut and locked up. However, every morning their shoes were found to be quite worn through as if they had been danced in all night. Nobody could find out how it happened, or where the princesses had been.So the king made it known to all the land that if any person could discover the secret and find out where it was that the princesses danced in the night, he would have the one he liked best to take as his wife, and would be king after his death. But whoever tried and did not succeed, after three days and nights, they would be put to death.A king's son soon came. He was well entertained, and in the evening was taken to the chamber² next to the one where the princesses lay in their twelve beds. There he was to sit and watch where they went to dance; and, in order that nothing could happen without him hearing it, the door of his chamber was left open. But the king’s son soon fell asleep; and when he awoke in the morning he found that the princesses had all been dancing, for the soles of their shoes were full of holes.The same thing happened the second and third night and so the king ordered his head to be cut off.After him came several others; but they all had the same luck, and all lost their lives in the same way.Now it happened that an old soldier, who had been wounded in battle and could fight no longer, passed through the country where this king reigned³, and as he was travelling through a wood, he met an old woman, who asked him where he was going."I hardly know where I am going, or what I had better do," said the soldier; "but I think I would like to find out where it is that the princesses dance, and then in time I might be a king.""Well," said the old woman, "that is not a very hard task: only take care not to drink any of the wine which one of the princesses will bring to you in the evening; and as soon as she leaves you pretend to be fast asleep."Then she gave him a cloak⁴, and said, "As soon as you put that on you will become invisible, and you will then be able to follow the princesses wherever they go." When the soldier heard all this good advice, he was determined⁵ to try his luck, so he went to the king, and said he was willing to undertake the task.He was as well received as the others had been, and the king ordered fine royal robes to be given him; and when the evening came he was led to the outer chamber.Just as he was going to lie down, the eldest⁶ of the princesses brought him a cup of wine; but the soldier threw it all away secretly, taking care not to drink a drop. Then he laid himself down on his bed, and in a little while began to snore very loudly as if he was fast asleep.When the twelve princesses heard this they laughed heartily⁷; and the eldest said, "This fellow too might have done a wiser thing than lose his life in this way!" Then they rose and opened their drawers and boxes, and took out all their fine clothes, and dressed themselves at the (野战口述)mirror, and skipped about as if they were eager to begin dancing.But the youngest said, "I don't know why it is, but while you are so happy I feel very uneasy⁸; I am sure some mischance will befall us.""You simpleton," said the eldest, "you are always afraid; have you forgotten how many kings' sons have already watched in vain? And as for this soldier, even if I had not given him his sleeping draught⁹, he would have slept soundly enough."When they were all ready, they went and looked at the soldier; but he snored on, and did not stir hand or foot: so they thought they were quite safe.Then the eldest went up to her own bed and clapped her hands, and the bed sank into the floor and a trap-door flew open. The soldier saw them going down through the trap-door one after another, the eldest leading the way; and thinking he had no time to lose, he jumped up, put on the cloak which the old woman had given him, and followed them.However, in the middle of the stairs he trod¹⁰ on the gown of the youngest princess, and she cried out to her sisters, "All is not right; someone took hold of my gown.""You silly creature!" said the eldest, "it is nothing but a nail in the wall."Down they all went, and at the bottom they found themselves in a most delightful¹¹ grove¹² of trees; and the leaves were all of silver, and glittered¹³ and sparkled¹⁴ beautifully. The soldier wished to take away some token¹⁵ of the place; so he broke off a little branch, and there came a loud noise from the tree. Then the youngest daughter said again, "I am sure all is not right -- did not you hear that noise? That never happened before."

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