The Twelve Dancing Princesses |
| Written by fairystory.org | |
had twelve daughters who were each more beautiful than the last. They slept in twelve beds all in one big room. Every night, as soon as the twelve princesses had gone to bed, the door of the room was shut and then it was locked by the King himself. And yet, every morning, when the King, their father, unlocked the door again, he could see that their slippers were all worn into holes, just as if they had all twelve been dancing instead of sleeping the whole night through. Not a word would any of the Princesses say about why this happened and nobody could find out where they had been. At last the King, their father, sent heralds out to proclaim that, if any suitor, be he prince or peasant, could discover the secret, and could find out where it was that the Princesses danced, he should not only have the one he liked best for his wife, but should also, in due time, inherit the Kingdom. They could try three times, but, after three days and three nights, whoever had tried and failed would be put to death. The first to try his luck was a King's son. He was well entertained, and on the evening when he said he was ready to begin the trial, he was taken to a room that led out of the one into which the Princesses were locked every evening. There he was to sit and watch, so that nothing might happen without his being able to see and hear it. But, oh dear, it wasn't long before the King's son fell fast asleep; and, when he woke in the morning, it seemed that the twelve princesses must all have been out dancing just as usual, for the soles of their slippers were just as full of holes as ever. The same thing happened on the second and third night; so there was nothing for it, and the King ordered his head to be cut off according to the bargain. After this Princes, Dukes, Earls and many others came, but they fared no better—not one of them was able to find out the secret of the twelve dancing Princesses. Now it chanced that one day a poor soldier, who had just left the army, came wandering through the country where this King reigned; and, as he was passing through a wood, he met an old woman who asked him who he was and where he was going. "I'm only a poor soldier and I'm going to seek my fortune," said he civilly, and with that, the two of them sat down to rest. The soldier began to chat about the wounds he had got, and the hard times he had had in the wars and the poor pay. It was a sad tale, but he was a jolly fellow and he told it merrily. "Is it true, Granny," the soldier asked presently, "that there's a kingdom and a wife to be won in this part of the country? They tell me that the one that is to win them must find out where twelve Princesses dance all night. Have you any idea how it could be managed?" "Well," said the old woman, "it's really no very hard task.” "Others haven't found it too easy," answered the soldier, "but I must say I should like to try my luck." "If you really mean to try," said the old woman, "the first thing is to take care not to drink any of the wine which the eldest Princess will bring you in the evening. But then, as soon as she leaves you, and when she thinks you have drunk it all, you must pretend to go fast asleep." The soldier thanked her so nicely for her good advice that the old woman did something more for him. She gave him a little cloak. "As soon as you put on this little cloak you will become invisible, and if you take great care and go very softly, you ought to be able to follow the Princesses wherever they go." "Where do they go?" asked the soldier. "See for yourself." No sooner had the old woman said this than she vanished. Well, as you can guess, after this good advice the soldier quite made up his mind that—though he knew what the bargain was—he was going to get himself a wife and a kingdom. So now he went straight off to the King, and told him that he had come to try to find out the secret. Though he was only a poor soldier he was just as well received as all the Princes and Dukes had been, but as he was all tattered and torn, the King ordered a fine court suit to be given him. When evening came he was led, just as the others had been, to the room that led off the one in which the Princesses slept. Just as he was settling himself down to watch, who should come in but the eldest Princess: she spoke pleasantly to him and in her hand she carried a cup of wine. The soldier thanked her, but, instead of drinking the wine, he managed to pour it all away secretly, taking care not to touch so much as a drop. Then he laid himself down on his bed, and in a little while he pretended to be snoring, and very loudly too, just as if he was in a deep sleep. The twelve Princesses had also been pretending to be asleep but really they were all listening and, when they heard how the soldier had begun to snore, they laughed merrily. "This silly fellow will lose his life, just like the others!" said the eldest. "You see if he doesn't." Then they all got up and began to open their chests and boxes. Bustling about, chattering and laughing, they took out their fine clothes, and began to dress themselves at the looking-glass. Presently the youngest said: "I don't know how it is, sisters, but while you all seem to feel as happy as usual I feel strange and uneasy tonight, just as if some bad luck were going to happen to us!" "You goose! You silly young thing!" answered the eldest. "You're always frightened of something or other. Have you forgotten how many Princes and Dukes have tried to find out our secret and all in vain? And as for this foolish beggarly soldier, I do believe that, even if I hadn't given him the usual sleeping-draught, he would have slept like a pig!" As soon as they were all dressed and ready, they tiptoed to the soldier's room to look. They could all see how he still seemed to sleep on, and didn't seem to stir hand or foot. Then the eldest Princess went softly back to her own bed and, standing by it, she clapped her hands, upon which the bed sank into the floor and a trap-door flew open. The soldier, who had got up quietly and was now watching through a chink in their door, could see how the twelve Princesses were going down through this trapdoor, one after another, the eldest leading the way. As soon as the last was out of sight, he opened the door, threw his little cloak round his shoulders, and softly stepped up to the trap-door and found that it led down, as he had guessed it must, to a little winding stair. As he followed them down, just in the middle of the stairs, the soldier accidentally trod on the long, beautiful train of the youngest Princess's dress. Instantly she cried out to her sisters: "Someone took hold of my gown!" "Silly young thing!" said the eldest. "I'm sure it just caught on a nail!" so they all went on down. At the bottom the soldier found that they were now outside the castle and in a delightful avenue of trees, whose leaves were all made of silver, which glistened and sparkled. The soldier thought he had better take some token which would prove where he had been, so he broke off a small twig, but, to his horror, as he broke it the whole tree seemed to give a loud crack as if in warning. Once more the youngest Princess took fright. "I am sure something's wrong," she cried. "Did you hear that strange noise? That never happened before!" But the eldest said: "Pooh! It is only our Princes. I expect they are shouting for joy because they can hear us coming." Then they came to another avenue of trees, whose leaves were made of gold; and afterwards to a third, where each leaf was made of glittering diamonds. As the soldier broke a twig from each kind of tree, the same loud warning crack sounded and each time the youngest sister trembled with fear. But the eldest still would have it that it was only their Princes, who were shouting for joy. At last they all came to a great lake: and by its shore the soldier saw that twelve little boats lay rocking quietly with a handsome Prince at the oars of each. One of the Princesses at once stepped into each boat, the eldest Princess leading, and then, last of all, the soldier got carefully and soundlessly into the same boat as the youngest. As they were crossing over the lake, the Prince who was rowing the boat with the youngest—the boat that had the soldier in it as well—said to her: "The boat seems very heavy today! I don't know why it is, but though I am rowing with all my strength we don't get on as fast as usual." "You feel tired with all this hot weather," answered the youngest Princess. "I feel it very warm too." On the other side of the lake stood a fine castle whose windows were all lighted up with lamps and torches, and the soldier could hear coming from it a cheerful sound of music. Horns, trumpets, and kettle-drums all seemed to be playing. As soon as they had landed they all went up into the castle, and here each Prince danced with the Princess that he loved best. But the soldier, who was of course invisible, had to dance by himself or not at all. However, each time one of the Princesses had a cup of wine set by her, the soldier drank it all up, so that when she put the cup to her mouth it was empty. The youngest sister was frightened at this also, but the eldest as usual told her not be so nervous. Well, they danced on until three o'clock in the morning and then, because their slippers were quite worn into holes, the Princesses were obliged to leave off, and the Princes rowed them back again over the lake. This time the invisible soldier went in the boat with the eldest Princess. On the opposite shore, each Princess took leave of her Prince, promising to come again the next night. As soon as they had got back as far as the avenue of trees which bore the silver leaves, the soldier ran on quickly, got to the stairs before the Princesses, and laid himself down in his bed just as if he had never moved, and, as the twelve sisters, tired with so much dancing, came slowly up, they could plainly hear him snoring away in his bed, and so they naturally believed that their secret was quite safe. Then, well pleased, they all undressed, put away their fine clothes, pulled off their worn-out dancing slippers and went to bed. In the morning, the soldier said nothing about what had happened, because he thought he would like once more to enjoy watching such wonderful goings on and so, on the second night, everything happened just as before. The soldier once more poured away the wine and pretended to sleep, but once more he followed the Princesses.  On the third night, however, there was one difference. The soldier thought that he had better have yet one more token, so that the King would be sure to believe the strange story he had to tell, so, when the dancing was over, he carried away one of the golden cups under his cloak.And now of course, on the fourth morning, the time had come when the soldier would have to declare the secret, and you can guess that he was careful to keep safely with him the tokens he had collected. The King was ready on his throne, with all his court round him, and then the soldier was led in. "Where do my twelve daughters dance at night?" asked the King. "Your Majesty," answered the soldier, "I have discovered the secret." Then he told the King everything that had happened, first and last, about the Princes, the castle, the underground lake, and all, and then, to prove his story, he showed the King the tokens. He showed him the three twigs from the three avenues of trees, with silver, gold and diamond leaves on each, and last of all, he showed him the golden cup which he had brought from the castle itself. Then the King called for the Princesses, and asked them whether what the soldier said was true. When the King had questioned them and when they had seen the tokens, they knew that, at last, their secret had been discovered. It was of no use to deny the soldier's tale and so they confessed it all. Then the King, true to the bargain, asked the soldier: "Which of them will you choose for a wife?" and he answered: "I'm not very young myself, so I will choose the eldest." And they were married that very day, and the soldier was made heir to the Kingdom.
|