The Midnight Dance

Once upon a time, there was a widowed king who had twelve daughters, each more beautiful than the last. Every night, the princesses went to a place no one knew, and by morning they had always worn out a new pair of shoes. The king, puzzled and unable to keep up with the cost of new shoes, wanted to discover their secret. He held a great feast, inviting all the kings, princes, nobles, merchants, and common folk, and announced, "Whoever can solve this riddle—where do my daughters go at night?—shall marry my beloved daughter and receive half my kingdom as a dowry."

No one could answer. But a poor nobleman stepped forward and declared, "Your Majesty, I will find out!" The king responded, "Very well, go and find out."

As soon as he left the palace, the poor nobleman began to worry. "What have I done? I promised to discover the secret, but I have no idea how. If I fail, the king may punish me." He wandered beyond the city, lost in thought, until he met an old woman on the road. She asked, "What troubles you, brave youth?" He replied, "How can I not be troubled? I have vowed to learn where the king's daughters go at night."

The old woman smiled and said, "This is a difficult task, but not impossible. Take this cap of invisibility. Wear it, and no one will see you. When you go to bed, the princesses will offer you a sleeping draught. Pretend to drink, but instead pour it into the bed, and stay awake."

The nobleman thanked her and returned to the palace. That night, he was given a room next to the princesses'. As he lay in bed, one of the princesses brought him a goblet of wine mixed with a sleeping drug, asking him to drink to her health. He took the cup, turned to the wall, and poured the liquid into the mattress. At midnight, the princesses came to check if he was asleep. He snored loudly, pretending to be in a deep sleep, while keeping his eyes and ears alert.

Then the eldest sister said, "Sisters, our watchman is asleep. It's time for our dance." They all dressed in their finest gowns. The eldest moved her bed aside, revealing a hidden staircase that led to the subterranean realm of the Accursed Tsar. They descended, and the nobleman quietly slipped on his cap of invisibility and followed them.

As they entered a grove with golden flowers, he accidentally brushed against the youngest princess's dress. Startled, she cried, "Oh, sisters, someone stepped on my dress! This is an omen of misfortune!" But the others dismissed her fears. "Nonsense! It's just the wind."

The nobleman plucked a golden flower, and the whole grove rustled. The youngest sister gasped, "Did you hear that? Something is wrong!" But her sisters reassured her, "It's just the music of the Accursed Tsar's realm."

They arrived at a magnificent palace, where the Accursed Tsar and his attendants awaited them. Music filled the air, and the princesses danced all night, their shoes wearing thin. The Tsar offered them wine, and the nobleman, invisible, took a goblet from under the Tsar's nose, drank it, and slipped the cup into his pocket.

When the dance ended, the princesses bid farewell to their hosts, promising to return, and made their way back home. They undressed and went to bed, exhausted.

The next morning, the king summoned the nobleman and asked, "Did you watch my daughters?" The nobleman replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. They went to the subterranean realm, to the Accursed Tsar, and danced all night."

The king called his daughters and questioned them, "Where do you go at night?" They feigned innocence, "We have not been anywhere." But the king insisted, "Were you not with the Accursed Tsar? This nobleman has evidence against you. He can prove your guilt."

The princesses scoffed, "Father, how can he accuse us when he slept like the dead all night?" The nobleman then pulled out the golden flower and the goblet from his pocket, saying, "Here is the proof."

The princesses had to confess. The king ordered the entrance to the subterranean realm to be sealed shut. And the nobleman married the youngest princess, and they lived happily ever after.