Twelve Dancing Princess

Sham S. Misri

Once upon a time there was a King who had twelve daughters. Each one was more beautiful than the other. They all slept together in one chamber and every night when they were in, the King locked the door. But in the morning when he unlocked the door, he saw that their shoes were worn out with dancing. No one could find out how that had happened.. Then the King proclaimed that whosoever could discover where they danced at night, should choose one of them for his wife and be King after his death, but if they failed to discover it within three days would be killed.

After some days a neighboring King's son offered to undertake the enterprise. He was well received, and in the evening was led into a room adjoining the princesses' sleeping-chamber. His bed was placed there, and he was to observe where they went and danced. The prince soon fell asleep. When he awoke in the morning, all twelve had been to the dance, for their shoes were standing there with holes in the soles. On the second and third nights it was the same, and then his head was struck off without mercy. Many others came after this and undertook the enterprise, but all lost their lives.

One day a poor soldier, walked on the road to the town where the King lived. There he met an old woman, who asked him where he was going.

"I hardly know myself," he answered,  "I had a mind to discover where the princesses danced their shoes into holes, and thus become King."

"That is not so difficult," said the old woman, "you must not drink the wine which will be brought to you at night, and must pretend to be sound asleep."

With that she gave him a little cloak, and said, "If you put on that, you will be invisible, and then you can steal after the twelve."

When the soldier received this good advice, he went to the King, and announced himself as a suitor. He was well received and royal garments were put upon him. When he was about to go to bed, the eldest came and brought him a cup of wine. The soldier had tied a sponge under his chin, and let the wine run down into it, without drinking a drop. Then he lay down and  began to snore, as if in the deep  sleep.

The twelve princesses heard  the snore, and  opened wardrobes, and  dressed themselves before the mirrors, sprang about, and rejoiced at the prospect of the dance. Only the youngest said, "I know not how it is; you are very happy, but I feel very strange; some misfortune is certainly about to befall us."

"You are a fool who is always frightened," said the eldest."Have you forgotten how many Kings' sons have already come here in vain? I had hardly any need to give the soldier a sleeping-draught; in any case the clown would not have awakened."

When they were all ready they looked carefully at the soldier, but he had closed his eyes and did not move or stir. They felt themselves quite secure. The eldest then went to her bed and tapped it. The bed immediately sank into the earth, and one after the other they descended through the opening, the eldest going first. The soldier, who had watched everything, put on his little cloak, and went down last with the youngest. Half-way down the steps, he just trod a little on her dress; she was terrified at that, and cried out, "What is that? Who is pulling my dress?"

"Don't be so silly!" said the eldest, "You have caught it on a nail."

Then they went all the way down, and when they were at the bottom, they were standing in a wonderfully pretty avenue of trees, all the leaves of which were of silver, and shone and glistened. The soldier thought, "I must carry a token away with me," and broke off a twig from one of them, on which the tree cracked with a loud report. The youngest cried out again. "Something is wrong, did you hear the crack?"

But the eldest said, "It is a gun fired for joy, because we have got rid of our prince so quickly."

After that they came into a garden where all the leaves were of gold, and diamonds. He broke off a twig from each, which made such a crack each time. They went on and came to a great lake whereon twelve little boats stood, and in every boat sat a handsome prince, all of whom were waiting for the twelve, and each took one of them with him, but the soldier seated himself by the youngest.

Then her prince said, "I can't tell why the boat is so much heavier to-day; I shall have to row with all my strength, if I am to get it across." A splendid, brightly-lit castle stood on the opposite side of the lake. The joyous music of trumpets and drums were heard from there.  They rowed over there, entered, and each prince danced with the girl he loved. The soldier danced with them unseen, and when one of them had a cup of wine in her hand he drank it up, so that the cup was empty when she carried it to her mouth. The youngest was alarmed at this, but the eldest always made her be silent. They danced there till three o'clock in the morning till all the shoes had holes, and they were forced to leave off. The princes rowed them back again over the lake, and this time the soldier seated himself by the eldest. On the shore they took leave of their princes, and promised to return the following night. When they reached the stairs the soldier ran on in front and lay down in his bed, and when the twelve had come up slowly and tired,  he was already snoring so loudly that they could all hear him, and they said, "So far as he is concerned, we are safe." They took off their beautiful dresses, laid them away, put the worn-out shoes under the bed, and lay down.

Next morning the soldier resolved not to speak, but to watch the wonderful goings on, and again went with them. Then everything was done just as it had been done the first time, and each time they danced until their shoes were worn to pieces. But the third time he took a cup away with him as a token. When the hour had arrived for him to give his answer, he took the three twigs and the cup, and went to the King, but the twelve stood behind the door, and listened for what he was going to say. When the King put the question, "Where have my twelve daughters danced their shoes to pieces in the night?" he answered, "In an underground castle with twelve princes," and related how it had come to pass, and brought out the tokens. The King then summoned his daughters, and asked them if the soldier had told the truth. All of them confessed. Thereupon the King asked the soldier which of them he would have as his wife.

He answered, "I am no longer young, so give me the eldest."

Then the wedding was celebrated on the same day, and the kingdom was promised to him after the King's death.