The Twelve Dancing Princesses
A king with twelve beautiful daughters faces a perplexing problem every morning. Their shoes are completely worn through, as if they have been dancing all night long. The king offers his youngest daughter's hand in marriage to anyone who can solve this mystery. However, any suitor who fails loses their life within three days. Several kings' sons try to watch the princesses but fall asleep and meet their doom. A wise old soldier arrives and seeks help from a kind old dame in the woods. She gives him an invisible cloak and warns him not to drink the sleeping wine. The soldier accepts the challenge and is led to the chamber next to the princesses' room. He cleverly discards the wine and pretends to sleep when the eldest princess brings it. The sisters dress up and leave through a hidden trapdoor in the floor. The soldier puts on the cloak and follows them down into the unknown. He walks among them unnoticed while they admire groves of silver, gold, and diamond trees. Each time he touches a tree, a noise startles the youngest sister, but the eldest dismisses her fears. They row across a lake in small boats to a magical castle full of music and princes. The soldier dances invisibly with them and drinks their wine so it appears empty. He breaks off branches from the trees and takes a golden cup as proof. On the third night, he carries these tokens back to show the king. The princesses are discovered and admit to dancing with twelve princes underground. The soldier chooses the eldest princess for his wife and becomes the heir to the throne.
