In a faraway kingdom, a kind King and gentle Queen lived happily with their eight beautiful daughters. Many evenings were spent in the grand ballroom, where laughter and dancing filled the castle with joy. Their shoes often wore thin from so much merriment, but they did not mind —for they were happy.

As time passed, however, a shadow crept over the kingdom. The King grew weary and burdened by his duties, withdrawing from the nights of dancing he once loved. With sorrow, the Queen declared that the dancing must end, believing it to be a frivolity in a time of need. Yet the princesses, unable to resist their joy, continued to dance in secret, their shoes wearing thin once more.

The Queen summoned the court’s trusted Cobbler to make them new shoes. She scolded her daughters, but when she was alone, even she would quietly dance—lamenting what once was.

The castle fell into disarray from the princesses’ secret revelry, until the maids came to restore its splendour. The Cobbler returned with his apprentices, presenting new shoes that filled the princesses with delight. But when they began to dance again, the Queen punished them, sending them to toil in the gardens. Even there she caught them dancing and asked the Cobbler to secretly follow them.

Unsure how to do this without being seen, the Cobbler journeyed into the forest to seek the wisdom of the Elder Fairies. Along the way, cheeky pixies tried to lead him astray, but he pressed on until he found the fairies in their hidden grotto. Hearing his plight, they smiled kindly and gifted him a vest of invisibility.

Meanwhile, the princesses danced together in perfect harmony. Their enchanted rhythm unlocked a secret door to a magical land of golden statues, silver leaves, and golden flowers glittering with healing water. The youngest princess cut herself on a silver leaf and discovered the magical water could heal. She wondered if it might restore the King’s strength. But the Cobbler, now invisible, had followed them—and at last revealed himself. Together, they carried the flowers and healing water back to the palace.

The King drank the magical droplets, and his weariness lifted. Rising from his chair, his strength and joy returned. The castle brimmed with laughter once again as he proclaimed that all should dance. And so they did—together, happily ever after.