NightIntent: Okay, this is the story of the Worn Out Dancing Shoes. But different. You'll see why. Anyways, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own the fairy tale. However, I made up Damsels, Inc. on my own.

At Damsels, Inc., a report arrived. It told about a kingdom that had twelve princesses who, every night, wore out their dancing shoes. All sorts of nobles had tried to keep the princesses from going wherever it was they went when they wore out their shoes, but, so far, none had succeeded. Beryl, the head of Damsels, Inc., thought about what to do about it for a while. Then she said, "Get me Keira. She's the one best suited for this job."

One of Beryl's underlings went running. She returned a few minutes later with a woman walking behind her. The woman seemed to be about thirty five, and looked very tough. She had once been a doctor in the army, and had had to deal with many things. Finally, she had quit. When the woman had heard about Damsels, Inc., she had known that that was where she would spend the rest of her life. The woman was Keira, whom Beryl had sent for.

Beryl informed Keira, "You're going to rescue twelve princesses. They go somewhere every night, and the nobles who've tried to help them have all failed. So, we're sending you. Here, take this, and remember this: Don't drink anything that the princesses may give you." Beryl handed Keira a cloak. It wasn't precisely black. But it was close. "That cloak will make you invisible. As long as no one thinks you're there, you'll be fine. But it's more illusion than actual magic."

Keira nodded and set out.

After a couple days' walk, Keira arrived at the palace. She was dressed as a man, so that the king would actually allow her to get a chance at helping the princesses. When Keira reached the gate, she hailed the guard captain. He called from inside the gatehouse, "What brings you to the castle gates, stranger?"

"I come to try my hand at helping the twelve dancing princesses," Keira answered.

"You are aware that the punishment for failing is death?" the guard asked. When Keira nodded, the guard said, "Very well. You may enter." The gate opened and Keira walked in.

The king granted Keira an audience as soon as she reached the throne room. When she laid eyes on him, she thought, This man has suffered from his daughters' troubles. More than they have, I dare say. His eyes held some nameless sorrow that seemed to run deeper than one could imagine. Keira bowed.

The king seemed to look past her, instead of directly at her. "So you come to help my daughters…?" He left the question hanging.

"Keiran, your majesty. Keiran Farmer," Keira answered the unasked question.

The king nodded. "Yes. Keiran," he said distractedly. "You will bathe, then we will eat a great feast in your honor. You have three days to bring me word of where my daughters go at night, where they dance so much that their delicate shoes are ruined. And with this word, I wish for proof. I will see you at the feast."

Keira nodded and allowed herself to be led out of the thrown room into a large bathing room. The runner boy let her to bathe. She did so, then dressed in the clothes that had been laid out for her before she'd arrived. They were men's clothes, seeing as the whole castle thought she was a man. But she didn't mind. When she was dressed, Keira went to dinner.

When both her and the king were settled at the table, the twelve princesses filed in. Each one was more beautiful than the last, either way one looked. They sat down at their places. No one said anything. Throughout the entire meal, everyone was oddly silent. Keira, being a rather friendly, talkative person herself, was bothered by the silence. She ate quickly, so as to get the meal over with quickly.

When dinner was over, Keira and the princesses were led to the great hall, where the princesses slept each night, locked in with a key that only the king possessed. They all listened as the lock turned and clicked shut. Then Keira went into the section of the hall that was partitioned off for her to sleep in. About an hour later, the eldest princess came in with a cup of wine. She offered it to Keira silently.

"Thank you," Keira said, accepting the cup. She drank it down, not remembering Beryl's advice. Soon after, she had fallen asleep. She didn't stir until morning, but by then it was too late to follow the princesses.

Keira went to breakfast in a bad mood. She hadn't thought to be outsmarted by a group of naïve girls. But she had been, because she'd forgotten to follow advice. After the silent breakfast, in which the king stared at her despairingly, Keira wrote a report to Damsels, Inc. No matter how embarrassing it had been, she was obligated to write her report.

The day passed uneventfully. After yet another silent dinner, Keira sat in her section of the hall. When the eldest princess came to her, Keira took the wine and, pretending to drink it, let it slide over her shoulder into the sponge that she had put there specifically for that purpose. The princess didn't realize that she had been tricked. She walked away, the same as she had the night before.

Minutes later, Keira pretended to be asleep, snoring loudly. The princesses went into a sudden flurry of activity. They got into fine dresses, and pulled on their new dancing shoes. When all the princesses were ready, the eldest lifted a section of the floor, which turned out to be a trapdoor. They all filed in, the eldest holding the door open. Keira pulled on the cloak quickly and tip-toed over to the trapdoor. Right after the youngest disappeared into the dark hole in the floor, Keira slipped into it. As the eldest princess closed the trapdoor, Keira stepped on the youngest princess's dress.

The young princess whirled around. She exclaimed, "Someone stepped on my hem!"

The eldest princess said, "No one is behind you except me, and I didn't step on your dress. You must be excited, and stepped on it yourself." The youngest princess looked doubtful, but didn't say anything more.

The princesses continued. After a few minutes, they reached an orchard of what looked like fruit trees. When Keira looked closer, she saw that what she'd thought was fruit was actually jewels. And the trees weren't beech trees, they were silver. She broke off a small branch. In the silence, the branch snapped like a gunshot.

The youngest princess, who had been trailing behind the others, twisted around, her eyes wide. She cried out, "Oh, there is someone here! I heard a noise!"

The eldest princess said, "It was just your nerves. Why are you so jumpy tonight?" All twelve princesses continued on. Soon, they reached a lake.

The lake didn't look like a lake normally did. Even the sound it made was different. It sounded like it stuck to the shore before sliding back inwards. And the color wasn't a crisp, clear blue. It looked more like black. On the lake was a dock. There were twelve boats docked, an oarsmen on each. Each princess went to a boat. Keira slipped onto the last boat, the one that the youngest princess got on.

As they started off, the oarsman said, "Did you gain weight? The boat seems heavier today. It's taking all my strength to keep up with the others, and even now we fall behind."

The princess glared at him indignantly. "I did not gain weight!" she exclaimed. "Maybe you just got weaker!"

The oarsman just shook his head. The three reached an island in the middle of the lake. There was a huge castle in the lake, and there was music flowing from it. The other eleven princesses were already dancing. The youngest was handed out of the boat by the oarsman. Keira got out herself. She followed the music, and watched all the princesses dance. Hours later, when their shoes were again worn to tatters, the princesses finished.

They boarded the boats again. Keira got on the same boat as the youngest princess again. When they docked at the other side, Keira ran ahead. By the time the princesses got back to the hall, Keira was back in her bed, pretending to snore loudly.

The princesses laughed. The eldest said, "We probably didn't even need the drugged wine! This one would sleep without it!" Keira smiled as she snored, pleased with the trick she'd done. Soon, she had drifted off into actual sleep.

The next morning, Keira didn't show the king her findings. She wanted more proof. So she waited. She was getting fed up with the annoying, silent meals. Keira wasn't used to being so quiet. After writing her report, she asked permission to go on a walk around the palace grounds, which was granted. On the walk, she met up with a soldier, the one who had been at the gate on the first day that Keira had come to the palace.

Keira and the guard talked for hours. They missed lunch, but Keira didn't care. Finally, a servant was sent to fetch her for yet another silent meal. She ate heartily, tolerant of the silence now that she had been able to talk with someone. After, she was locked in the hall with the princesses again.

Keira did the same thing as the night before, pretending to drink the wine. This time, though, she didn't alarm the youngest princess at all. The oarsman didn't comment on the weight of the boat that night, either. Keira watched the dancing.

Near the end of the night, the eldest princess left her wine cup in a place where Keira could grab it. So Keira took the opportunity. She snatched the cup and slipped it inside her cloak. When they got to the lake, on the way back to the boats, Keira filled the cup up to the brim with the slimy water, careful not to touch it. Then she got on the boat with the youngest princess again.

For the second time, Keira ran back to her bed. She put the invisibility cloak on top of the cup and branch. She didn't even need to hear the trapdoor open. She was fast asleep.

The next morning, Keira brought her evidence to the king. She carefully explained about where he princesses went every night, and what happened. She showed the court the jeweled branch and the cup with the tainted water. The sorrow in the king's eyes lifted. He smiled for the first time in months.

"You have succeeded. Now, you may collect on the promised reward. Keiran Farmer, you may choose one of my daughters as your bride, and whichever daughter you choose will become my heir, and you will become king of this kingdom when I die," the king declared.

Keira said, "I'm sorry, but I cannot accept that. You see, I only came because I was assigned by my company, Damsels, Inc., to rescue the princesses from their trouble."

"Then you can take some gold as payment for your services."

"No, I'm afraid that's impossible," Keira apologized. "You see, my company is non-profit. We don't take pay, just as we don't announce who we help. Knowing that I helped is payment enough for me. Thank you for the offer, though, your majesty. It was very kind." Keira bowed.

"Is there any way I can do something for your company?" the king inquired.

"Well, we take donations, but they're not necessary. And I can't take it. Send it to this address." Keira took a card out of one of her pockets and tossed it to the king. It went directly to him. He glanced at it. By the time he looked up, Keira was already gone.

NightIntent: Did you like it? To clarify: Damsels, Inc. is a non-profit organization that rescues people. But they only use female agents to do the rescuing. The agents cannot take any money or reward for what they do. As a result, the only people who apply and actually stay are non-selfish people. Or those who are really stubborn. Or both. My next story is going to be The Frog Prince. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update. So please review!