He was well received, and in the
evening was led into a room adjoining the princesses’ sleeping-chamber. His bed was placed there, and he was to observe where they went and
danced, and in order that they might do nothing secretly or go away to
some other place, the door of their room was left open. But the eyelids of the prince grew heavy as lead, and he fell asleep,
and when he awoke in the morning, all twelve had been to the dance, for
their shoes were standing there with holes in the soles. On the second
and third nights it fell out just the same, and then his head was
struck off without mercy. Many others came after this and undertook the
enterprise, but all forfeited their lives. Now it came to pass that a
poor soldier, who had a wound, and could serve no longer, found himself
on the road to the town where the King lived. There he met an old
woman, who asked him where he was going. “I hardly know myself,”
answered he, and added in jest, “I had half a mind to discover where
the princesses danced their shoes into holes, and thus become King.”
“That is not so difficult,” said the old woman, “you must not drink the
wine which will be brought to you at night, and must pretend to be
sound asleep.” With that she gave him a little cloak, and said, “If you
put on that, you will be invisible, and then you can steal after the
twelve.” When the soldier had received this good advice, he went into
the thing in earnest, took heart, went to the King, and announced
himself as a suitor. He was as well received as the others, and royal
garments were put upon him. He was conducted that evening at bed-time
into the ante-chamber, and as he was about to go to bed, the eldest
came and brought him a cup of wine, but he had tied a sponge under his
chin, and let the wine run down into it, without drinking a drop. Then
he lay down and when he had lain a while, he began to snore, as if in
the deepest sleep. The twelve princesses heard that, and laughed, and
the eldest said, “He, too, might as well have saved his life.” With
that they got up, opened wardrobes, presses, cupboards, and brought out
pretty dresses; dressed themselves before the mirrors, sprang about,
and rejoiced at the prospect of the dance. Only the youngest said, “I
know not how it is; you are very happy, but I feel very strange; some
misfortune is certainly about to befall us.” “Thou art a goose, who art
always frightened,” said the eldest. “Hast thou forgotten how many
Kings’ sons have already come here in vain? I had hardly any need to
give the soldier a sleeping-draught, in any case the clown would not
have awakened.” When they were all ready they looked carefully at the
soldier, but he had closed his eyes and did not move or stir, so they
felt themselves quite secure. The eldest then went to her bed and
tapped it; it immediately sank into the earth, and one after the other
they descended through the opening, the eldest going first. The
soldier, who had watched everything, tarried no longer, put on his
little cloak, and went down last with the youngest. Half-way down the
steps, he just trod a little on her dress; she was terrified at that,
and cried out, “What is that? who is pulling my dress?” “Don’t be so
silly!” said the eldest, “you have caught it on a nail.” Then they went
all the way down, and when they were at the bottom, they were standing
in a wonderfully pretty avenue of trees, all the leaves of which were
of silver, and shone and glistened. The soldier thought, “I must carry
a token away with me,” and broke off a twig from one of them, on which
the tree cracked with a loud report. The youngest cried out again. “Something is wrong, did you hear the crack?” But the eldest said, “It
is a gun fired for joy, because we have got rid of our prince so
quickly.” After that they came into an avenue where all the leaves were
of gold, and lastly into a third where they were of bright diamonds; he
broke off a twig from each, which made such a crack each time that the
youngest started back in terror, but the eldest still maintained that
they were salutes. They went on and came to a great lake whereon stood
twelve little boats, and in every boat sat a handsome prince, all of
whom were waiting for the twelve, and each took one of them with him,
but the soldier seated himself by the youngest. Then her prince said,
“I can’t tell why the boat is so much heavier to-day; I shall have to
row with all my strength, if I am to get it across.” “What should cause
that,” said the youngest, “but the warm weather? I feel very warm too.”
On the opposite side of the lake stood a splendid, brightly-lit castle,
from whence resounded the joyous music of trumpets and kettle-drums. They rowed over there, entered, and each prince danced with the girl he
loved, but the soldier danced with them unseen, and when one of them
had a cup of wine in her hand he drank it up, so that the cup was empty
when she carried it to her mouth; the youngest was alarmed at this, but
the eldest always made her be silent. They danced there till three
o’clock in the morning when all the shoes were danced into holes, and
they were forced to leave off; the princes rowed them back again over
the lake, and this time the soldier seated himself by the eldest. On
the shore they took leave of their princes, and promised to return the
following night. When they reached the stairs the soldier ran on in
front and lay down in his bed, and when the twelve had come up slowly
and wearily, he was already snoring so loudly that they could all hear
him, and they said, “So far as he is concerned, we are safe.” They took
off their beautiful dresses, laid them away, put the worn-out shoes
under the bed, and lay down. Next morning the soldier was resolved not
to speak, but to watch the wonderful goings on, and again went with
them. Then everything was done just as it had been done the first time,
and each time they danced until their shoes were worn to pieces. But
the third time he took a cup away with him as a token. When the hour
had arrived for him to give his answer, he took the three twigs and the
cup, and went to the King, but the twelve stood behind the door, and
listened for what he was going to say. When the King put the question,
“Where have my twelve daughters danced their shoes to pieces in the
night?” he answered, “In an underground castle with twelve princes,”
and related how it had come to pass, and brought out the tokens. The
King then summoned his daughters, and asked them if the soldier had
told the truth, and when they saw that they were betrayed, and that
falsehood would be of no avail, they were obliged to confess all. Thereupon the King asked which of them he would have to wife? He
answered, “I am no longer young, so give me the eldest.” Then the
wedding was celebrated on the self-same day, and the kingdom was
promised him after the King’s death. But the princes were bewitched for
as many days as they had danced nights with the twelve.