Every night, twelve very pretty princesses sleep in twelve beds in a large and luxurious palace bedchamber. But every morning when they emerge from it, their beautiful shoes are worn to threads, even though the room had been firmly locked overnight. The princesses either cannot - or will not - offer any explanation for this, and the King and Queen fear that their daughters are bound by some evil spell. Many try and fail to solve the riddle, forfeiting their lives in the process. Can a humble soldier, already exhausted from his experiences on the battlefield, fare any better...? This timeless story is retold for a new generation of young readers - who will be enchanted by this very big adventure! Illustrations throughout