Night Dances
Once upon a time, there lived a widowed king who had twelve daughters, each more beautiful than the last. Every night, these princesses would disappear, and no one knew where they went; all that was known was that each night they would wear out a new pair of shoes. The king could not keep up with providing them with enough shoes, and he became determined to find out where they went at night and what they were doing.So, he held a grand feast and invited kings, princes, nobles, merchants, and common folk from all over the land. He asked if anyone could solve this mystery for him. Whoever could uncover the secret would marry his favorite daughter and receive half the kingdom as a dowry.
No one dared to take on the task of discovering where the princesses went at night. Finally, a poor nobleman stepped forward.
"Your Majesty," he said, "I will find out."
"Very well," replied the king. "Do so."
But after agreeing, the poor nobleman began to have second thoughts. "What have I done?" he said to himself. "I promised to find out, but I have no idea how! If I fail, the king will surely have me arrested."
He left the palace and wandered outside the city, deep in thought and feeling downhearted. As he walked, an old woman approached him and asked, "Why so troubled, young man?"
He replied, "How can I not be troubled, grandmother? I promised the king I would find out where his daughters go at night."
"Ah, that is indeed a difficult task," said the old woman. "But it can be done. Here is an invisibility cap; with it, you can see anything! But remember this: when you go to bed, the princesses will offer you a sleeping potion. Turn toward the wall and pour it into the bed, but do not drink it!"
The poor nobleman thanked the old woman and returned to the palace.
As night approached, he was given a room next to the one where the princesses slept. He lay down on the bed, pretending to sleep, but kept watch. Soon, one of the princesses brought him a glass of wine laced with sleeping potion and asked him to drink to her health. He couldn't refuse, so he took the glass, turned toward the wall, and poured the wine into the bed.
At midnight, the princesses came to check if he was asleep. The poor nobleman pretended to be in a deep, sound sleep, but he was listening carefully to every sound.
"Well, sisters," said the eldest princess, "our guard is asleep. It's time for us to go to the ball."
"Yes, it's time!" the others agreed.
They dressed in their finest gowns, and the eldest sister went to her bed, pushed it aside, and suddenly a passage to an underground kingdom appeared. They began to descend the stairs. The poor nobleman quietly got up, put on the invisibility cap, and followed them. Accidentally, he stepped on the youngest princess's dress, and she cried out, "Oh, sisters! It feels like someone stepped on my dress. This is a bad omen!"
"Don't worry," said the others. "Nothing will happen."
They descended into a grove where golden flowers grew. The poor nobleman broke off a branch, and the whole grove rustled.
"Oh, sisters," said the youngest princess, "something bad is coming! Do you hear the grove rustling?"
"Don't be afraid," said the eldest. "It's just the music of the enchanted king."
They arrived at a palace, where the king and his courtiers greeted them. Music began to play, and they danced until their shoes were worn out.
The king ordered wine to be served to the guests. The poor nobleman took a goblet from the tray, drank the wine, and then slipped the goblet into his pocket.
When the ball ended, the princesses said goodbye to their partners, promising to return the next night. They returned home, undressed, and went to bed.
In the morning, the king summoned the poor nobleman.
"Well," he asked, "did you keep watch over my daughters?"
"I did, Your Majesty," replied the nobleman.
"Where did they go?"
"To the underground kingdom of the enchanted king, where they danced all night."
The king called his daughters and began to question them.
"Where were you last night?" he asked.
"Nowhere!" they replied.
"Not in the underground kingdom of the enchanted king? This poor nobleman claims to have seen you there and wants to expose you."
"How could he, Father, when he slept soundly all night?"
The poor nobleman then pulled out the golden flower and the goblet from his pocket.
"Here," he said, "is the proof!"
What could they do? The princesses confessed to their father. The king ordered the passage to the underground kingdom to be sealed, and he married the poor nobleman to his youngest daughter. And so, they all lived happily ever after.
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