The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces

A king had twelve daughters who slept in a locked hall every night. Yet every morning their shoes were found danced to pieces. No one could discover where they went, and the king was desperate to know the truth.

The king proclaimed that anyone who could discover the secret within three days could marry the daughter of his choice and inherit the throne. But whoever tried and failed would forfeit his life.

Many princes attempted the mystery, but all failed and were put to death. Then a wounded soldier came to the kingdom. An old woman gave him a magic cloak of invisibility and warned him not to drink the enchanted wine the princesses would offer him.

That night, the eldest princess offered him wine, but he secretly poured it out and pretended to fall asleep. When the princesses thought him deep in slumber, they dressed in their finest gowns and opened a secret trapdoor beneath the eldest's bed. The soldier, invisible in his cloak, followed.

They descended into an enchanted forest. First they passed through a grove of silver trees, then one of gold, then one of diamond trees. The soldier broke a twig from each as proof. Beyond lay a great lake where twelve princes waited with boats. The soldier stepped unseen into the youngest princess's boat.

On the far shore stood a castle filled with music and light. There the princesses danced with their partners until the first light of dawn. The soldiers took a golden cup as proof of his journey before returning to the castle ahead of the princesses.

For two more nights he followed them, collecting twigs and another cup. On the third day, he revealed all to the king. The princesses, seeing their secret discovered, confessed. The enchantment was broken, and the soldier chose the eldest princess for his wife.

The other princesses were freed as well, though the fate of their underground princes is not told. The kingdom celebrated, and the mysterious dancing ended forever.