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, but every morning their shoes were found to be quite worn through as if they had been danced in all night. Yet nobody could find out how it happened, or where they had been.
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 should have the one he liked best for his wife, and should be king after his death—but whoever tried and did not succeed, after three days and nights, would be put to death.
A king's son soon came. He was well entertained, and in the evening was taken to the chamber next to the one where the princesses lay in their twelve beds. There he was to sit and watch where they went to dance. So that nothing might pass without his hearing it, the door of his chamber was left open—but he 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, so the king ordered his head cut off. After him came several others; but they had all the same luck, and all lost their lives in the same manner.
Now it chanced that an old soldier, who had been wounded in battle and could fight no longer, passed through the country where this king reigned. As he traveled 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 should like very well to find out where it is that the princesses dance, and then in time I might be a king."
"Well," said the old dame, "that is no very hard task. Only take care not to drink any of the wine that one of the princesses will bring to you in the evening, and as soon as she leaves, pretend to be fast asleep." Then she gave him a cloak, 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 counsel, he determined 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. When the evening came he was led to the outer chamber. Just as he was going to lie down, the eldest of the princesses brought him a cup of wine, but the soldier secretly threw it away, not drinking a drop. Then he laid down on his bed, and in a little while began to snore very loudly, as if fast asleep. When the twelve princesses heard this, they laughed heartily. The eldest said,
"This fellow too might have done a wiser thing than lose his life in this way!"
Then they rose up and opened their drawers and boxes, and took out all their fine clothes, and dressed themselves at the glass, and skipped about as if they were eager to begin dancing. But the youngest said,
"I don't know how it is, while you are so happy I feel very uneasy. 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 draught, 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. The eldest went to her own bed and clapped her hands. 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. Thinking he had no time to lose, he jumped up, put on the cloak the old woman had given him, and followed them, but in the middle of the stairs he trod on the gown of the youngest princess. 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 delightful grove of trees. The leaves were all of silver, and glittered and sparkled beautifully. The soldier wished to take away some token 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." But the eldest said,
"It is only our princes, who are shouting for joy at our approach."
Then they came to another grove of trees, where all the leaves were of gold; and afterward to a third, where the leaves were glittering diamonds. The soldier broke a branch from each, and every time there was a loud noise, which made the youngest sister tremble with fear. The eldest, however, said it was only the princes crying for joy. So they went on till they came to a great lake. At the side of the lake there lay twelve little boats with twelve handsome princes in them, who seemed to be waiting for the princesses.
One of the princesses went into each boat, and the soldier stepped into the same boat with the youngest. As they were rowing over the lake, the prince who was in the boat with the youngest princess and the soldier said,
"I do not know why it is, but though I am rowing with all my might we do not get on so fast as usual, and I am quite tired. The boat seems very heavy today."
"It is only the heat of the weather," said the princess: "I feel it very warm too."
On the other side of the lake stood a fine illuminated castle, from which came the merry music of horns and trumpets. There they all landed, and went into the castle, and each prince danced with his princess. The soldier, who was all the time invisible, danced with them too, and when any of the princesses had a cup of wine set by her, he drank it all up, so that when she put the cup to her mouth it was empty. At this, too, the youngest sister was terribly frightened, but the eldest always silenced her. They danced on till three o'clock in the morning, and then all their shoes were worn out, so that they were obliged to leave off. The princes rowed them back again over the lake, but this time the soldier placed himself in the boat with the eldest princess. On the opposite shore, they took leave of each other, the princesses promising to come again the next night.
When they came to the stairs, the soldier ran on before the princesses, and laid down in his bed. As the twelve sisters slowly came up, very much tired, they heard him snoring, so they thought all was quite safe. Then they undressed themselves, put away their fine clothes, pulled off their shoes, and went to bed. In the morning the soldier said nothing about what had happened, but determined to see more of this strange adventure, and went again the second and third night. Everything happened just as before: the princesses danced each time 'till their shoes were worn to pieces, and then returned home. However, on the third night the soldier carried away one of the golden cups as a token of where he had been.
As soon as the time came when he was to declare the secret, he was taken before the king with the three branches and the golden cup. The twelve princesses stood listening behind the door to hear what he would say. When the king asked him
"Where do my twelve daughters dance at night?" he answered,
"With twelve princes in a castle under ground." Then he told the king all that had happened, and showed him the three branches and the golden cup he had brought back. Then the king called for the princesses, and asked them whether what the soldier said was true. When they saw they were discovered, and that it was no use to deny what had happened, they confessed it all. The king asked the soldier which of them he would choose for his wife. He answered,
"I am not very young, so I will have the eldest." They were married that very day, and the soldier became the king's heir.