Once upon a time, there was a king who had twelve daughters.
Each of them loved to dance.
On and on they would dance into the night, even after the dances had ended and the world should have been tucked up in bed.
Though he loved their dancing, The King despaired over their obsession, for it seemed nothing could stop them.
Eventually, he stated that they should dance no more.
Each night the princesses were locked in their chambers and relieved of their dancing slippers.
And yet every morning, The King was shown twelve pairs of worn out shoes.
Unable to unravel the mystery, he called to the gentlemen of the kingdom and beyond to discover how his daughters were escaping each night and who helped them again and again and again.
Was it the Servants?
Enchanted suitors who would do anything for their ladies?
Surely not anything more sinister.
Try as they might, the gentlemen failed to discover the secrets behind the princess.
Finally, a young soldier offered to try and The King, losing hope of ever solving the riddle, agreed, promising that he might even have the hand of any of his daughters if he was successful.
The soldier tried for three nights to follow the princesses.
On the first night, they escaped him instantly, leaving him at a loss to their vanishing acts.
On the second night, he woke in the morning to discover he had been drugged to sleep the night away.
But on the third night, he discovered the secret of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
And, come morning, he and the princesses all disappeared.
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Next Up: Soon
Art By: Ruth Sanderson
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Dancing on Strings
Fantasy"A Princess to your kingdom before A Principal to your stage." Mai, Princess Royal and first of twelve daughters has only two priorities. Her family and her dance - and sadly her dance can never come before her family. Because of this, despite her...
