12 Dancing Princesses (French Bedtime Story)

In a far-off kingdom, a king is baffled by his 12 daughters, who every morning wear out their dancing shoes, despite being confined to their rooms at night. The king calls upon the wisest and most clever scholars to solve the mystery, but none can figure out how the princesses manage to dance every night. This was one of my favorite fairytales as a child and it is still just as enchanting and mysterious as ever!

Transcript

Hello.

This time I am going to read you a French fairy tale,

The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

When I was a child,

This was one of my favorite fairy tales.

It has so much magic and I just loved the idea of these princesses dancing in a magical enchanted castle all night long.

I hope you enjoy this fairy tale.

Once upon a time there lived in the village of Montigny-sur-An,

A little cowboy,

Without either mother or father.

His real name was Michel,

But he was always called the Stargazer,

Because when he threw his couch,

He went along with his head in the air,

Gaping at nothing.

As he had a white skin,

Blue eyes and hair that curled over his head,

The village girls used to cry after him.

Well,

Stargazer,

What are you doing?

And Michel would answer,

Oh,

Nothing,

And go on his way without even turning to look at them.

He thought them very ugly,

With their sunburned necks,

Their great red hands,

Their coarse petticoats and their wooden shoes.

He had heard that somewhere in the world there were girls whose necks were white and whose hands were small,

Who were always dressed in the finest silks and laces,

And were called princesses,

And while his companions round the fire saw nothing in the flames but common everyday fancies,

He dreamt that he had the happiness to marry a princess.

One morning about the middle of August,

Just the midday when the sun was hottest,

Michel ate his dinner with a piece of dry bread,

And went to sleep under an oak,

And while he slept he dreamt that there appeared before him a beautiful lady dressed in a robe of cloth of gold,

Who said to him,

Go to the castle,

And there you shall marry a princess.

That evening the little cowboy,

Who had been thinking a great deal about the advice of the lady,

In the golden dress,

Thought he dreamed the farm people,

But as was natural they only laughed at the Stargazer.

The next day at the same hour he went to sleep again under the same tree.

The lady appeared to him a second time,

And said,

Go to the castle,

And you shall marry a princess.

In the evening Michel told his friends that he had dreamed the same dream again,

But they only laughed at him more than before.

Never mind,

He thought to himself,

If the lady appears to me a third time I will do as she tells me.

The following day,

To the great astonishment of all the village,

About two o'clock in the afternoon a voice was heard singing,

Rello,

Rello,

How the cattle go.

It was the little cowboy driving his herd back to the buyer.

The farmer began to scold him furiously,

But he answered quietly,

I am going away,

Made his clothes into a bundle,

And said good-bye to all his friends,

And boldly set out to seek his fortunes.

There was great excitement through all the village,

And on the top of the hill the people stood holding their sides with laughing,

As they watched the Stargazer trudging bravely along the valley with his bundle at the end of his stick.

It was enough to make anyone laugh,

Certainly.

It was well known for a full twenty miles around,

That lived in the castle twelve princesses of wonderful beauty,

And as proud as they were beautiful,

And who were besides so very sensitive and such truly royal blood,

That they would have felt at once the presence of a pea in their beds,

Even if the mattress had been laid over it.

It was whispered about that day,

That exactly the lives that princesses ought to lead,

Sleeping far into the morning and never getting up till midday.

They had twelve beds,

All in the same room,

But what was very extraordinary was the fact that,

Though they were locked in by triple bolts,

Every morning their satin shoes were found worn into holes.

When they were asked what they had been doing all night,

They always answered,

That they had been asleep,

And indeed no noise was ever heard in the room,

Yet the shoes could not wear themselves out alone.

At least the duke ordered the trumpet to be sounded,

And a proclamation to be made,

That whoever could discover how his daughters wore out their shoes,

Should choose one of them for his wife.

On hearing the proclamation a number of princesses arrived at the castle.

They watched all night behind the open door of the princesses,

But when the morning came they had all disappeared and no one could tell what had become of them.

When he reached the castle,

Michel went straight to the gardener and offered his services.

Now it happened that the garden boy had just been sent away,

And though the stargazer did not look very sturdy,

The gardener agreed to take him,

As he thought that his pretty face and golden curls would please the princesses.

The first thing he was told was that,

When the princesses got up,

He was to present each one with a bouquet.

Suddenly he placed himself behind the door of the princesses' room,

With the twelve bouquets in a basket.

He gave one to each of the sisters,

And they took them,

Without even deigning to look at the lad,

Except Lina,

The youngest,

Who fixed her large black eyes as soft as velvet on him,

And exclaimed,

Oh,

How pretty he is,

Our new flower boy!

The rest all burst out laughing,

And the eldest princess pointed out that a princess ought never to lower herself by looking at a garden boy.

Now Michel knew quite well what had happened to all the princesses,

But notwithstanding the beautiful eyes of the princess Lina,

He inspired him with a violent longing to try his fate.

Unhappily,

He did not dare to come forward,

Being afraid that he should only be cheered for that,

Or even turned away from the castle on account of his impudence.

Nevertheless,

The stargazer had another dream.

The lady in the golden dress appeared to him,

Holding in one hand two young laurel trees,

A cherry laurel and a rose laurel,

And in the other hand a little golden bucket and a silken towel.

She thus addressed him,

Plant these two laurels in two large pots,

Rake them over with the rake,

Water them with the bucket,

And wipe them with the towel.

When they have grown as tall as a girl fifteen,

Say to each of them,

My beautiful laurel,

With the golden rake I have raked you,

With the golden bucket I have watered you,

With the silken towel I have wiped you.

Then after that ask anything you choose,

And the laurels will give it to you.

Daniel thanked the lady in the golden dress,

And when he woke,

He found the two laurel bushes beside him,

So he carefully obeyed the orders he had been given by the lady.

The truce grew very fast,

And when they were as tall as a girl fifteen he said to the cherry laurel,

My lovely cherry laurel,

With the golden rake I have raked thee,

With the golden bucket I have watered thee,

With the silken towel I have wiped thee,

Teach me how to become invisible.

Then there instantly appeared on the laurel a pretty white flower,

Which Michel gathered and stuck into his buttonhole.

That evening when the princesses went upstairs to bed,

He followed them barefoot,

So that he might make no noise,

And hid himself under one of the twelve beds,

So as not to take up much room.

The princesses began at once to open their wardrobes and boxes.

They took out of them the most magnificent dresses,

Which they put on before their mirrors,

And when they had finished turned themselves all round to admire their appearances.

Michel could see nothing from his hiding place,

But he could hear everything,

And he listened to the princesses laughing and chomping with pleasure.

At last the orders said,

Be quick,

My sisters,

Our partners will be impatient.

At the end of an hour,

When the stargazer heard no more noise,

He peeped out and saw the twelve sisters in splendid garments,

With their satin shoes on their feet,

And in their hands the bouquets he had brought them.

Are you ready?

Asked the oldest.

Yes,

Replied the other eleven in chorus,

And they took their places one by one behind her.

Then the oldest princess clapped her hands three times,

And a trap-door opened.

All the princesses disappeared down in a secret staircase,

And Michel followed them.

As he was following on the steps of the princess Lena,

He carelessly trot on her dress.

There is somebody behind me,

Cried the princess,

They are holding my dress.

You foolish girl,

Said her older sister.

You are always afraid of something,

It is only a nail which caught you.

They went down,

Down,

Down,

Till at last they came to a passage,

With a door at one end,

Which was only fastened with a latch.

The oldest princess opened it,

And they found themselves immediately in a lovely little wood,

Where the leaves were sprangled with drops of silver which shone in the bright,

Brilliant light of the moon.

They next crossed another wood,

Where the leaves were sprinkled with gold,

And after that another still,

Where the leaves glittered with diamonds.

At last the stargazer perceived a large lake,

And on the shores of the lake twelve little boats,

In which were seated twelve princesses,

Who grasping their oars,

Awaited the princesses.

Each princess entered one of the boats,

And Michel slipped into that which held the youngest.

The boats glided along rapidly,

But Linas,

From being heavier,

Was always behind the rest.

We have never went so slowly before,

Said the princess.

What can be the reason?

I don't know,

Answered the prince.

I assure you I am rowing as hard as I can.

On the other side of the lake the garden boy saw a beautiful castle,

Splendidly illuminated.

Whence came the lovely music of fiddles,

Kettletrums,

And trumpets.

In a moment they touched land,

And the company jumped out of the boats,

And the princess,

After having securely fastened their barks,

Gave their arms to princesses,

And conducted them to the castle.

Michel followed and entered the ballroom in their train.

Everywhere were mirrors,

Lights,

Flowers,

And the mask hangings.

The stargazer was quite bewildered at the magnificence of the sight.

He placed himself out of the way in a corner admiring the grace and beauty of the princesses.

Their loveliness was of every kind.

Some were fairer,

And some were dark.

Some had chestnut hair,

Or curls darker still,

And some had golden locks.

Never were so many beautiful princesses seen together at one time.

But the one whom the cowboy thought the most beautiful and the most fascinating was the little princess with the velvet eyes.

With what eagerness she danced,

Learning on her partner's shoulder,

She swept like a whirlwind.

Her cheeks flushed,

Her eyes sparkled,

And it was plain that she loved dancing better than anyone else.

The poor boy envied those handsome young men with whom she danced so gracefully,

But he did not know how little reason he had to be jealous of them.

The young men were really the princess who,

To their number of fifty at least,

Had tried to steal the princesses' secret.

The princesses had made them drink something of a filter which froze the heart and left nothing but the love of dancing.

They danced until the shoes of the princesses were worn into holes,

When the rooster crowed the third time the fiddle stopped,

And a delicious supper was served by servants consisting of sugared orange flowers,

Crystallized rose leaves,

Powdered violets,

Fragnels,

Wafers,

And other dishes which are,

As everyone knows,

The favorite food of princesses.

After supper the dancers all went back to their boats,

And this time the stargazer entered,

That of the oldest princess.

They crossed again the wood with the diamond-spangled leaves,

The wood with gold-sprinkled leaves,

And the wood whose leaves glittered with drops of silver,

And as a proof of what he had seen,

The boy broke a small branch from a tree in the last wood.

Lina turned as if she heard the noise made by the breaking of the branch.

What was that noise?

She said.

It was nothing,

Replied her older sister.

It was only the screech of the barn owl that roosed in one of the tourists of the castle.

As she was speaking,

Michel managed to slip in front,

And running up the staircase,

He reached the princess's room first.

He flung open the window,

And sliding down,

The vine which climbed up the wall,

Found himself in the garden just as the sun was beginning to rise.

Michel hit the branch with the silver drops in the nose-gay intended for the young princess.

When Lina discovered it,

She was much surprised.

However she said nothing to her sisters,

But as she met the boy by accident while she was walking under the shade of the elms,

She suddenly stopped as if to speak to him,

Then altering her mind went on her way.

The same evening the twelve sisters went again to the ball,

And the stargazer again followed them and crossed the lake in Lina's boat.

This time it was the prince who complained that the boat seemed very heavy.

It is the heat,

Replied the princess.

I too have been feeling very warm.

During the ball she looked everywhere for the gardener's boy,

But she never saw him.

As they came back,

Michel gathered a branch from the wood with the goat's spangled leaves,

And now it was the eldest princess who heard the noise that it made in breaking.

It is nothing,

Said Lina,

Only the cry of the owl which roosted the turrets of the castle.

As soon as she got up,

She found the branch in her bouquet.

When the sisters went down,

She stayed a little behind and said to the cowboy,

Where does this branch come from?

Your royal highness knows well enough,

Answered Michel.

So you have followed us?

Yes princess.

How did you manage it?

We never saw you.

I eat myself,

Replied the stargazer quietly.

The princess was silent a moment,

And then she said,

You know our secret,

Keep it.

Here is the reward of your discretion,

And she flung the boy a purse of gold.

I do not sell my silence,

Answered Michel,

And he went away without picking up the purse.

For three nights Lina neither saw nor heard anything extraordinary.

On the fort she heard a rustling among the diamond-spangled leaves of the wood.

That day there was a branch of the trees in her bouquet.

She took the stargazer aside and said to him in a harsh voice,

You know what price my father has promised to pay for our secret?

I know,

Princess,

Answered Michel.

Don't you mean to tell him?

That is not my intention.

Are you afraid?

No princess.

What makes you so discreet then?

But Michel was silent.

Lina's sisters had seen her talking to the little garden boy and cheered at her for it.

What prevents you marrying him?

Asked the artist.

You would become a gardener too,

It is a charming profession.

You would live in a cottage at the end of the bar and help your husband to draw up water from the well,

And when we get up you could bring us bouquets.

The princess Lina was very angry,

And when the stargazer presented her bouquet she received it in a disdainful manner.

Michel behaved most respectfully,

He never raised his eyes to her,

But nearly all day she felt him at her side without even seeing him.

One day she made up her mind to tell everything to her oldest sister.

What?

Said she.

This rogue knows our secret,

And you never told me?

I must lose no time in getting rid of him.

But how?

Why,

By having him taken to the tower with the dungeons,

Of course.

For this was the way that in old times beautiful princesses got rid of people who knew too much.

But the astonishing part of it was that the youngest sister did not seem at all to relish this method of stopping the mouth of the gardener's boy,

Who,

After all,

Had said nothing to their father.

It was agreed that the question should be submitted to the other ten sisters,

All were on the side of the oldest.

Then the youngest sister declared that if they laid a finger on the little garden boy she would herself go and tell their father the secret of the holes in their shoes.

At last it was decided that Michel should be put to test.

They would take him to the ball,

And at the end of supper would give him the philtre which was to enchant him like the rest.

They sent for the stargazer,

And asked him how he had contrived to learn their secret.

But still he remained silent.

Then in commanding tones the oldest sister gave him the order they had agreed upon.

He only answered,

I will obey.

He had really been present,

Invisible,

At the council of princesses,

And had heard all,

But he had made up his mind to drink of the philtre and sacrifice himself to the happiness of her he loved.

Not wishing,

However,

To cut a poor figure at the ball by the side of the other dancers,

He went at once to the laurels and said,

My lovely rose laurel,

With the golden rake,

I have raked thee,

With the golden bucket,

I have watered thee,

With the silken towel I have dried thee,

Dress me like a prince.

A beautiful pink flower appeared,

Michel gathered it,

And found himself in a moment clothed in velvet,

Which was black as the eyes of the little princess,

With a cap to match,

A diamond acret,

And a blossom of the rose laurel in his bottom hole.

Thus dressed,

He presented himself that evening before the duke of Belle,

And obtained leave to try and discover his daughter's secrets.

He looked so distinguished that hardly anyone would have known who he really was.

The twelve princesses went upstairs to bed.

Michel followed them,

And waited behind the open door till they gave the signal for departure.

This time he did not cross in Lina's boat.

He gave his arm to the oldest sister,

Danced with each in turn,

And was so graceful that everyone was delighted with him.

At last the time came for him to dance with the little princess.

She found him the best partner in the world,

But he did not dare to speak a single word to her.

When he was taking her back to her place,

She said to him in a mocking voice,

Here you are at the summit of your wishes,

You are being treated like a prince.

Don't be afraid,

Replied the stargazer gently,

You shall never be a gardener's wife.

The little princess stared at him with a frightened face,

And he left her without waiting for an answer.

When they sat in slippers,

Were warned,

Through the fiddle stopped,

And the servants set the table,

Michel was placed next to the oldest sister and opposite to the youngest.

They gave him the most exquisite dishes to eat,

The most delicate wines to drink,

And in order to turn his head more completely,

Compliments and flattery were heaped on him from every side,

But he took care not to be intoxicated,

Either by the wine or the compliments.

At last the oldest sister made a sign,

And one of the black peaches brought in a large golden cup.

The enchanted castle has no more secrets for you,

She said to the stargazer,

Let us drink to your triumph.

He cast a lingering glance at the little princess,

And without hesitation lifted the cup.

Don't drink,

Suddenly cried out the little princess,

I would rather marry a gardener.

And she burst into tears.

Michel flung the contents of the cup behind him,

Sprang over the table,

And fell at Lina's feet.

The rest of the princess fell likewise at the knees of the princesses,

Each of whom chose a husband,

And raised him to her side.

The charm was broken.

The twelve couples embarked in the boats,

Which crossed back many times in order to carry over the other princesses.

Then they all went through the tree woods,

And when they had passed the door of underground passage,

A great noise was heard,

As if the enchanted castle was crumbling to the earth.

They went straight to the room of the duke,

But just awoke.

Michel held in his hand the golden cup,

And he revealed the secret of the holes in the shoes.

Choose,

Then,

Said the duke,

Whichever you prefer.

My choice is already made,

Replied the garden boy,

And he offered his hand to the youngest princess,

Who blushed and lowered her eyes.

The princess Lina did not become a gardener's wife.

On the contrary,

It was the stargazer who became a prince.

But before the marriage ceremony,

The princess insisted that her lover should tell her how he came to discover the secret.

So he showed her two laurels,

Which had helped him.

And she,

Like a prudent girl,

Thinking they gave him too much advantage over his wife,

Cut them off at the root and threw them into the fire.

And this is why the country girls go about singing.

We will no longer go to the woods,

All the laurels are cut.

And the stargazer and Lina always dance through the summer by the light of the moon.