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Once upon a time, there was a King who had 12 daughters. Every night he locked them securely in their bedroom, but every morning when he unlocked the door he found their shoes danced to pieces. The King proclaimed that anyone who could discover where the girls were dancing at night would win one of his daughters as wife and become the next King. However, if this person could not discover where they were dancing within three days and nights, he would be put to death. Many princes and noblemen came and tried their luck, but all fell asleep in the middle of the night and awoke to find all 12 pairs of shoes danced to pieces. All ended up forfeiting their lives because they could not solve the mystery.

One day a poor soldier, who had received a wound and could no longer serve, found himself on the road to the King's castle. There he met an old woman, who asked where he was going. "I hardly know myself," he replied, adding as a joke that he was planning to discover where the princesses were dancing each night and thus become King. The old woman advised him not to drink the wine that would be brought to him, and to pretend to be asleep to fool the princesses. Then she gave him a cloak of invisibility so that he could sneak after them. The soldier took her advice in good faith and went to the castle to announce himself as a suitor.

The first night, when the eldest daughter offered him wine, he didn't drink a drop and when he had waited a while, he pretended to fall sound asleep. The princesses dressed themselves up and rejoiced in the prospect of dancing, except for the youngest, who believed that some misfortune was about to befall them. The eldest laughed at her and said this suitor was going to forfeit his life in vain, just like all the rest. She then went to her bed and tapped it; it sank into the earth and the 12 daughters descended through the opening. The soldier followed after them, wearing his cloak of invisibility so as not to be seen.

When they reached the bottom, they walked through three forests: one of silver, one of gold, and the third of diamonds. In each forest the soldier broke off a twig from a tree as proof to show the King, and each time the youngest daughter jumped with fright, saying that something was wrong. Her eldest sister, however, persuaded her that it was a gun fired for joy since they had gotten rid of their suitor so quickly. They then came to a lake on which 12 boats sat waiting, each one with a handsome prince. The soldier sat in the boat with the youngest and her prince, and the prince complained that today the boat seemed much heavier than normal, but the youngest assured him that it was just the warm weather.

Across the lake stood a splendid castle, from which merry music was playing. Inside each prince danced with the girl he loved, but the soldier danced with them unseen and drank their wine before it reached their mouths. They danced until 3:00 in the morning when their shoes were full of holes, and then they returned to their room. The soldier ran up ahead of them to make sure they saw him still asleep, and the girls, thinking they hadn't been discovered, put their dresses away and went to bed.

The next morning the soldier decided not to speak but instead followed them to see the wonderful sights again, and everything happened just as it had the night before. The third night, however, he took a cup away with him to show the King. When the time came for him to deliver his answer to the King, he told the story of the underground palace and showed him the three twigs and the cup. The King then summoned his daughters and asked them if the soldier had told the truth. Being unable to deny the soldier's proof, they confessed everything, and the King asked the soldier which one he would like to marry. The soldier picked the eldest because he was not young anymore, and the wedding was celebrated that same day. The princes who had danced with the 12 daughters, however, were bewitched for as many days as they had danced at the palace.

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