The Twelve Dancing Princesses: Grimm’s Fairy Tale

The Twelve Dancing Princesses Story

In a faraway kingdom there lived a king with twelve daughters. People called them the Twelve Dancing Princesses because they moved so gracefully, even when they were just walking across a room. However, one strange problem made the whole palace whisper.

Every morning the king found the princesses’ dancing shoes worn thin, even though they had gone to bed in their nightgowns and never left the room. So he began to worry that something strange or dangerous was happening after dark. Because he loved his daughters and feared someone might be tricking them, he had them sleep in one long chamber with twelve beds in a row. To keep them safe and to solve the mystery, the king locked the doors and posted guards outside.

And yet, when morning came, the mystery returned. The princesses woke with rosy cheeks and messy hair. Worst of all, their pretty shoes sat beside their beds, scuffed and worn through, as if they had danced for hours.

The king stared at those ruined soles and frowned.

“Someone is sneaking my daughters out at night,” he grumbled. “Or else they are sneaking out on their own. Either way, I will learn the truth.”

So, he made an announcement across the land.

“Whoever discovers where my daughters go each night will earn a reward,” the king declared. “He may choose one princess to marry and after my death he will become king. But whoever tries and fails for three nights will pay with his life.”

Princes try and fail

Soon, several princes and other proud young nobles arrived at the palace to solve the mystery.

However, each one drank the offered wine and fell into a deep sleep. Therefore, every morning the shoes were ruined again and the king grew more worried.

A Soldier Meets an Old Woman

One afternoon, an old soldier walked along a forest path near the kingdom. Long ago he had fought in battles, but an old wound meant he could not serve as a soldier anymore.

“I can’t be a soldier anymore,” he muttered. “So what do I do now?”

Just then, an old woman stepped out from behind a tree. She carried a basket of herbs and her eyes looked sharp as needles.

“Where are you going, soldier?” she asked.

“I’m not sure where I’m going,” the soldier said. “Still, I’d like to solve the mystery of where the princesses dance at night.”

The old woman nodded. “Then listen. Do not drink the wine they bring you. Pretend to sleep. Then follow them.”

“How can I follow them without being seen?” the soldier asked.

She pulled out a plain cloak, gray as fog. “Put this on and you will turn invisible.”

The soldier stared. “Invisible?”

“Yes,” she said. “But remember, invisible does not mean silent. They can still hear you, so step softly, because even a small noise can give you away.”

The soldier thanked her. Then he tucked the cloak beneath his coat and went to the palace.

The Soldier’s Three Nights

When the soldier arrived in the city he asked the way to the palace.

Guards tried to shoo him away. However, he stood straight and asked to try the king’s challenge.

The king looked him up and down. “You are not a prince,” he said. “You are not even a young noble.”

“No, Your Majesty,” the soldier answered. “But I have guarded gates and watched enemy camps. I can stay awake.”

The king sighed. “Very well. If you fail, you know the price.”

“I know,” the soldier said.

That evening servants led him to a small chamber beside the princesses’ room. The two rooms were separated by a door, left just slightly ajar so he could listen. Therefore, he could hear every whisper, every footstep and every giggle.

Soon, soft footsteps came near. The eldest princess appeared with a shining cup.

“Drink this and rest well,” she said.

The eldest answered with a sharp laugh. “You always feel strange. Hurry.”

When they were ready, the princesses paused outside the soldier’s chamber to listen. He snored on, so they thought he was fast asleep.

The first night underground

Then the eldest clapped her hands beside her bed.

The bed sank down and a hidden trapdoor opened in the floor.

Cool air drifted up from below.

One by one, the princesses slipped down the steps into the darkness.

The soldier waited. Then he pulled on the cloak.

In an instant, his body disappeared.

He crept down the stairs after them. Halfway down, his boot brushed fabric.

The youngest yelped. “Someone tugged my dress!”

The eldest snapped, “Nonsense. You caught it on a nail.”

Holding his breath the soldier froze. A moment later, he followed again, stepping with care.

At the bottom they entered a grove where the leaves shimmered like silver. The soldier reached out and snapped off a tiny branch as proof.

Crack!

The youngest jumped. “Did you hear that?”

“It is only our princes cheering,” the eldest said.

Soon they reached a second grove with gold leaves and then a third grove that sparkled like diamonds. The soldier took a small branch from each. Every time, the youngest princess shivered.

After the third grove, a dark lake spread out before them. At the shore waited twelve little boats with twelve handsome princes.

One princess stepped into each boat. The soldier slipped into the same boat as the youngest.

As the prince rowed, he frowned. “This boat feels heavy tonight.”

“The air is close down here tonight,” the youngest said quickly. “It makes everything feel harder.”

On the far side of the lake stood a glowing castle and music poured out from inside. Each prince took his princess by the hand and the dancing began.

Servants carried trays of sparkling drinks. Each princess had a cup placed beside her. The soldier grew thirsty and, without thinking, he took one quick sip from the youngest princess’s cup. When she reached for it a moment later, she blinked in surprise.

The youngest whispered, “It feels lighter. Did I spill it?”

The eldest hissed, “Stop it. You are imagining things.”

They danced until a clock chimed three times. Then the princesses looked down and saw their shoes had worn through again.

Reluctantly, they stopped. Then the princes led them back to the boats.

This time, the soldier slipped into the boat with the eldest princess to watch her. However, she only smiled and stared out at the lake.

When they reached the shore, the princes bowed. “Tomorrow night again.”

“Yes,” the princesses promised.

The soldier rushed up the stairs, threw off the cloak and climbed into bed. He snored loudly.

A moment later, the tired princesses climbed up too. They heard the snoring and relaxed.

The second and third nights

The second night passed much the same way. The trapdoor opened. The groves glittered. The lake waited. The castle rang with music. And yet, the youngest princess grew more certain that someone followed them.

Then the third night came. During the dancing, the soldier took a golden cup as proof. He took it gently and he took it for the king, not for himself. Afterward, he hurried back to his bed and snored until morning.

The Secret Comes Out

On the fourth morning, the king summoned the soldier.

“Well?” the king demanded. “Where do my twelve daughters go each night?”

“They dance in a castle underground,” the soldier said. “They travel through a trapdoor beneath the eldest princess’s bed. They pass through groves of silver leaves, gold leaves and diamond leaves. Then they cross a lake in twelve boats and they dance with twelve princes until their shoes wear through.”

The soldier placed the branches on the table. Then he set down the golden cup.

The king called for the princesses. “My daughters, is this true?”

For a moment, the eldest looked ready to deny everything. However, the proof glittered in the sunlight, so the sisters lowered their heads.

“Yes,” the eldest said. “It is true.”

The king looked sad and angry all at once. He remembered the hopeful faces of the men who had failed before and his stomach twisted with regret. Then he turned to the soldier.

“You have done what no one else could. Now I must keep my promise too. Choose a princess as your wife.”

Before the soldier could answer, the youngest princess stepped forward. Her voice trembled, but she held her head up.

“Father,” she said, “we should have told you the truth. We loved the dancing because it felt like a secret adventure. We always came back before morning, so we told ourselves it was harmless. But we were wrong to hide it from you.”

The eldest princess took a slow breath. Then she nodded.

“We were afraid you would stop us,” she admitted. “So we kept it secret. Meanwhile, you worried every night and brave men came to try and failed. We are sorry.”

The king’s shoulders sagged. “I only wanted to keep you safe,” he said quietly. “But my promise made this mystery even more dangerous.” Then he looked at the soldier again. “Still, a promise is a promise and I will keep mine.”

The soldier looked at the sisters. The youngest seemed relieved. The eldest looked proud, yet worried.

“I am not a young man,” the soldier said gently. “So I will choose the eldest princess, if she will have me. You led your sisters every night. That took courage. And today you told the truth. I respect that.”

The eldest blinked, surprised. Then her face softened.

“If that is your choice,” she said, “then yes. I will be honest from now on. I will keep my promises and I will help my sisters do the same.”

And so, that very day, the king held a wedding in the great hall. The people cheered, because the mystery had ended and no more brave visitors would be lost.

Afterward, the king spoke to his daughters. “If you want music,” he told them, “we will have music. If you want dancing, we will have dancing. But we will do it openly, with light, with laughter and with truth.”

Later, the eldest princess spoke to her sisters. “We can still dance,” she said, “but we will dance in the sunlight too. We will not let fear lock our voices away.”

In time, the soldier became the king’s heir, just as he had promised.