AN: This is just testing the water a bit for me. I always had a thing for fairy-tale parodies and I might make this into a mini-series if any of you have any requests. This is based on The 12 Dancing Princesses and I hope you enjoy it.
Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a kingdom that was ruled by a wise and just king. He and his wife had seven daughters, each of who were brave, beautiful and intelligent women. For many years the kingdom was peaceful and prosperous; the people were happy and the royal family was beloved by all. Then one dark day, tragedy struck. An exiled lord, driven mad by his desire for power broke into the palace and murdered the queen and although King David struck the man dead himself, the loss of his beloved Erin was like a wound from which he would never recover.
Upon the death of Queen Erin, King David decided that his daughters needed more protection than ever. Despite the fact that almost all his daughters had been taught how to use swords, bows or some form of hand to hand combat; King David decided that it was not enough and that in order to protect them at night; the princesses would sleep in the same room at the top of one of the palace's towers with guards outside the locked door. When he informed his daughters of this decision, he was met with fierce opposition to the idea. Although the princesses argued with their father for hours about the idea; his word as king was law and there was nothing they could do about it.
It was will very ill-grace that the princesses marched to the tower that night. When they opened the door, they found that their beds, wardrobes and possessions had already been placed there by the servants. A fact which only confirmed the reality of their situation. As the princesses took in their new surroundings, Emily, the second-eldest princess crossly threw herself onto her bed.
"This sucks!" Emily claimed, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the ceiling. Across the room, Elle, the third eldest stood by the window, staring out into the night sky.
"He can't do this. This isn't right, we're locked up like prisoners!" Elle insisted as she looked out the window. She preferred the view from her old bedroom. It looked right out onto the palace gardens. This window showed nothing but the outer walls.
"Maybe he'll change his mind," Jennifer, the fourth eldest provided optimistically as she let Kate, the sixth eldest, braid her long blonde hair. Kate shrugged her shoulders as she focused on styling her sister's hair.
"What if he doesn't?" Kate asked quietly, usually she did her best to be optimistic but given everything that had happened from when their mother died, she was finding it difficult.
"I can understand why he's doing it. He misses Mother and wants to protect us but I agree, this is going too far." Alex, the eldest reasoned. It was natural that their father wished to protect them but keeping them under lock and key was not the way to do this.
"But we miss her too," Penelope said sadly. She was the fifth eldest and had been the one closest to their mother. Queen Erin had put all her energies into raising her daughters, teaching them how to be good princesses and future rulers. Her pushing had caused disagreements between the sisters and herself on many occasions but she was their mother and they loved and missed her. Elle moved away from the window and put her arm around Penelope and looked at Maeve. Maeve was the youngest of the sisters and hadn't said a word since King David had told them of their new shared chambers.
"What do you think?" Elle asked Maeve who looked up at them and shrugged her shoulders.
"Father might change his mind," Maeve offered and Emily sat up on her bed and smiled at her sisters.
"Exactly, he'll come to his senses. Until then, we have to remember what Mother always said," Emily claimed as she stood up and looked at her sisters. "A princess always knows how to adapt to difficult situations."
"And how do we do that when we're locked in a tower?" Jennifer asked as Emily reached behind her for her pillow.
"Like this," Emily replied and brought the pillow down hard on Jennifer's head as well as the end of the pillow hitting Kate too, causing them both to shriek and each to fumble for her own pillow. Within seconds, all seven sisters were laughing and hitting each other with pillows. For the first time in what felt like so long, they were laughing and having fun; it seemed like their problems had gone away and they were free. As Kate's pillow tore open and caused feathers to explode everywhere, Maeve slipped on one and fell against the wall. Her hand hit a certain brick right in the centre and her sisters watched as a hidden trapdoor in the middle of the room suddenly opened.
"What did you do?" Alex asked Maeve who looked at the wall in shock. It must have been a secret way of unlocking the hidden door; like in so many of the stories she had read.
"I just hit that brick," Maeve replied as Elle took a candle and peered down the trapdoor.
"There seems to be stairs. What should we do?" Elle said as they all came to the same conclusion.
"Let's go, it could be a way out!" Jennifer said as the sisters quickly pulled on their shoes and grabbed some candles in order to help light the way for them. The stairs seemed to be almost endless before they led into a passage. At the end of the passage was a large oak door. Alex pushed the door open and the princesses stepped out into a large, beautiful garden. A golden pathway started at their feet and twisted through the garden past trees of silver, wild arrays of flowers in every colour imaginable, a fountain gushing clear water and led to a large pavilion made of marble. Amazed by their new discovery, the sisters made their way down the path towards the pavilion. To add to their amazement, once they stepped onto the pavilion, each step made a musical note sound out.
Overexcited and amazed at their new secret place and the freedom of being away from their locked tower, the princesses used the musical marble pavilion as their dance floor, using the music provided as their means to dance, both practising the steps they had been taught intricately at their dance lessons over the years and making up their own; including leaps, twirls and jumps not normally considered part of elegant dancing. The princesses danced and danced, relishing in their freedom, until they noticed the black sky was rapidly turning dark blue with dashes of pink. Dawn was coming.
"We have to go back," Emily said. "Father will be unlocking the tower soon."
"I don't want to leave," Penelope said, looking around at the beautiful gardens, still as amazed by them as she had been all night.
"We'll come back tonight. It'll be our secret." Alex decided and the sisters agreed. As they stepped onto the golden path, Maeve noticed something obvious.
"Look at our shoes," Maeve said as she regarded her own pair. The soles were peeling away from the uppers, the careful stitching was becoming undone and the heels were cracked. All of her sisters' shoes were the same. They had worn them out after so much dancing.
"We'll think up an excuse, come on let's go." Kate urged and the sisters took each other's hands. Their candles had long since burned out and so they had had to form a chain with Alex in the lead, feeling the wall to navigate their way back to the steps and up through the trapdoor again. Once Jennifer, who was the last through the trapdoor shut it again, the sisters climbed back into their beds. Exhausted by the night's events, all of them were fast asleep almost immediately.
Over the next few nights, the princesses would wait until their bedroom door was locked before sneaking down the trapdoor and back into the gardens. Most nights they danced, other times they would spend the night playing games they had left behind in childhood such as Chase, Hide and Seek and skipping games; not caring how undignified they were or else they lay together on the grass staring up at the stars. Their nightly visits to the secret garden became something extremely important to them. When they were there, they were just sisters, not princesses. Nobody was there to judge or whisper or ridicule them. They were free. For once in their lives, they were free. And when they sneaked back into their beds just as the dawn was about to break; each of them was happy. Even if her feet ached and her shoes were worn through. That never mattered.
King David however couldn't fail to notice the change in his daughters' behaviour. How tired they were during the day, how quiet they were, how they never protested about sharing their tower at night anymore. He especially couldn't overlook the fact that so many pairs of their shoes had been completely worn out. Some of which had only been repaired the day before. His attempts to get the truth out of his daughters both by questioning them and standing guard outside their bedroom himself revealed nothing and he had another idea.
The news was spread throughout all the kingdoms. Whoever could discover where the seven princesses disappeared to at night and have proof of this place would have his pick of the seven princesses as his bride. Needless to say this news was as well-received as his decision to lock them in the tower at night in the first place and the seven clever princesses put their heads together to form a plan. All of them were at marrying age but wanted to choose her husband or indeed if she wanted to get married at all.
As princes, lords, knights and indeed commoners, the challenge was open to all, began to try their luck; the princesses were ready for them. Their plan was simple but effective. Each night before they went to bed, the princesses took it in turns to slip whoever was trying to learn their secret a sleeping potion and once he was asleep, would sneak through the trapdoor and dance the night away. In the morning they would be exhausted with their shoes worn out and the challenger would be sent away from the kingdom; lucky to still have his head if nothing else.
One afternoon, Alex and Maeve sat together on the lawns reading. Not too far away from them, Emily and Elle practised their sword-fighting. Jennifer was practicing her archery and Kate and Penelope were sat together deep in conversation. Whilst Maeve wasn't as confident or chatty as her sisters, she was observant and knew some of the princes and lords had left their impression on some of her sisters. The prince who had just left, Prince Derek had been funny and charming and they all knew he had left quite the impression on Penelope. One of the first men to try, Lord William was still in contact with Jennifer. She tried to hide it but they had found one of his letters and could tell he was someone important to her.
"Are we doing the right thing?" Maeve asked Alex who looked up from her book. "I mean, I know we love the garden and visiting it every night, I love it but I feel bad for lying to Father and making fools out of these men."
"I know it's hard and Mother always taught us that a princess must always be honest but it's something that makes us happy. Besides not all of these men are as good as Prince Derek; remember that one last week, Lord Ian?" Alex asked her sister and Maeve smiled. She remembered the arrogant lord who swaggered around the castle, claiming he would be the one who'd discover their secret. Yet none of them hated him more than Emily; it seemed to be hatred at first sight for both of them and Lord Ian even boasted that he would marry Emily out of spite once he discovered their secret. Needless to say, the sisters took great pleasure in spiking his drink with the sleeping potion and watching him be sent away.
"I suppose," Maeve replied and Alex smiled at her.
"We made the agreement when Father told us of this plan. If any man was able to outsmart us, then we would admit the truth. If not then we get to keep our secret. It is only fair, besides don't you remember Mother's other rule about telling the truth?" Alex reminded Maeve who smiled back at her.
"A princess tells of what she knows but not all she knows." Maeve repeated; it took her a long time to fully understand what that meant. Now she understood it better than anyone.
"Exactly, besides as boastful as it is, we are seven of the most brightest and well-educated women in the land. It would take an extremely clever man to outsmart all of us." Alex claimed as she picked up her book again and began reading. Maeve glanced down at the book in her lap, its spine bent from the many hours she spent reading and re-reading it. She loved to read and learn new things and if she was to be boastful, she would describe herself as someone who was highly intelligent.
She guessed Alex was right; it would take an extremely intelligent man to outsmart all seven of them.
In a kingdom not too far away from the princesses' borders there was a young physician who had heard the rumours and stories about the mysterious seven princesses and their destroyed dancing shoes. He was a man of learning and believed there was merely a rational explanation for the mystery. Yet he had to admit, it puzzled him. Not many things puzzled him for young Spencer Reid was not only a man of learning but he had been gifted with great intellect. He remembered everything he read, could understand many languages, studied mathematics, history and the sciences eagerly as well as being an extremely gifted physician. Word had reached his ears of the many princes, lords, knights and commoners who had tried their luck at learning the secrets of the princesses and failed.
He supposed that he could attempt to solve the puzzle himself, aside from his job as a physician; he didn't have much. His father had left his family long ago and his mother had never been well. She had been a troubled woman and tragically passed a few years ago. Armed with the knowledge that he had nothing to lose and the desire to solve the rarity that was something that confused him; the young physician decided to attempt to solve the puzzle himself and that very day, packed a bag and left to journey to the kingdom.
It was one afternoon, not long after he started his journey that he came across an old woman who was struggling to carry a basket. Spencer walked up to her and offered to help her carry it.
"Thank you young man," the old woman said gratefully. "Where are you going?"
"To try and solve the puzzle of the dancing princesses madam," Spencer replied truthfully and the old woman gave him a look.
"Many men have tried and failed. The princesses are very clever," the old woman advised and looked around as they reached her small house by the side of the road. "Allow me to give you something dear boy,"
"No, no, it's alright. You don't have to do that." Spencer said quickly but the old woman ignored him and hobbled into her home, reappearing with a long piece of fabric which she gave to him.
"When you get to the palace, wear that at night. It will allow you to travel through the castle unseen. Good luck Spencer." The old woman said as Spencer looked at the fabric she had forced into his hand. Spencer studied the silky smooth fabric and had so many questions. Namely how did this woman know to give him this? Who was she?
Yet when he looked up to ask her a question, she and her home were gone and he was alone at the side of the road. Spencer looked at the fabric she had given him, it appeared to be some kind of cloak. He quickly put it into his bag and continued on his journey to the palace. It took him a few days but finally he arrived at the palace and was granted an audience with King David. Spencer did his best to hide his nervousness as he came face to face with the king.
"Who are you?" King David asked the young man who knelt in front of him. He had seen some very different men try to figure out his daughters' secret but this was by far one of the most unusual. The young man kneeling before him seemed barely old enough to shave but he had ordered that any man could try.
"My name is Spencer Reid, I'm a physician Sire and I have come to try and learn the truth about where your daughters go at night and how they can wear out so many shoes." Spencer replied, grateful that his voice didn't betray his nervousness.
"And do you think you can do it? Many men have tried. All of them have failed." King David said; then again this man could surprise them all. He doubted it but still, it could be amusing nonetheless.
"I am aware, Your Highness but I am willing to try. There are many reasons and methods behind your daughters' actions. There might be a way of eliminating some of them and then all that could remain would be the truth." Spencer explained as he looked up and made eye contact with the king who gave him an amused smile.
"You might be right." King David said, this really was an unusual young man. Maybe just maybe he was smart enough to outsmart his daughters. Speaking of which. "Fetch my daughters for me."
One of the guards nodded and left the room and swiftly returned with the seven princesses who gave Spencer looks as he watched them enter the room. All seven of them stood in a row and curtsied to their father before turning their attention back to Spencer.
"He has to be the youngest yet, he's merely a boy." Elle whispered to Jennifer who nodded as their father began introducing them.
"Spencer these are my daughters. The Princesses Alexandra, Emily, Elle, Jennifer, Penelope, Katherine and Maeve. Girls, this is Spencer Reid, a physician who will be standing watch outside your door tonight." King David explained as Spencer bowed to the seven of them in turn.
"Your highnesses, it's an honour to meet you." Spencer said. He couldn't help but be transfixed by the youngest princess, Maeve. She looked to be around the same age as him with bright intelligent eyes and light brown hair. Maeve looked back at him and was taken by how handsome the young physician was with his messy dark hair and nervous smile. For a moment she almost felt a stab of pity for what they were going to do but their night of escapism, of dancing was far more important.
It was.
"I'll have someone show you to your rooms, then should you wish, you can get to know my daughters better and see if you really are smart enough to figure out where they go and how they destroy their shoes doing it." King David said to Spencer before looking back at his daughters. "You can go now girls."
"Yes Father," Alex said as the seven of them curtsied again and left the room. Once the door was shut behind him, Alex looked at her sisters. "What do we think?"
"He'll be like the others, he'll try, he'll fail. Besides he's quite young, I felt like I could be his mother." Emily joked and the princesses laughed, even Maeve managed a small smile. This Spencer didn't seem to be that young.
"There is something sweet about him," Penelope commented as they made their way through the palace. "Poor thing."
"He'll be fine. He'll sleep like a baby." Kate joked. As the princesses returned to their lessons, it was Alex who noticed how distracted Maeve was during their lessons. The reason why became apparent when their lessons were over and the princesses went into the garden to have some time to themselves before dinner. To their surprise, when they walked into the garden the princesses found Spencer studying the flowers and making notes on them in a small book.
"What are you doing?" Jennifer asked Spencer who jumped and quickly bowed at the sight of the seven princesses.
"Forgive me your highnesses, I was just studying the flowers you have here and writing down ideas on how they can be used for different medicines and remedies." Spencer explained and the princesses looked at each other before Maeve spoke.
"You don't have to do that. I've already done that, our physicians use these as well as more commonly found wildflowers and herbs. Besides, they aren't the ones we grow for medicines, those are found at the other side of the gardens." Maeve explained before blushing. "Sir,"
"I didn't know I was in the wrong place but some of these flowers don't grow where I'm from, I-I was merely compiling my own thoughts. Y-Your Highness." Spencer explained as he offered Maeve his book. Maeve took it and was impressed by what she had found written inside. Most of his writings were well-knowledgeable and correct. Then again, he was supposedly a physician and physicians were expected to know these things.
"P-perhaps you could show me the flowers and herbs your physicians grow, maybe some of them could be beneficial for my own work." Spencer offered and Maeve looked at her sisters who were all wearing knowing smiles as they looked at the two.
"Go on Maeve, you wouldn't want Father knowing you've been rude to our guest." Penelope said and blushing furiously, Maeve led Spencer across the gardens. Once they were out of earshot, the princesses looked at one another.
"How cute was that?" Alex said with a grin.
"Very but what are we going to do about tonight. This guy is smart," Elle warned. She didn't have a problem with Spencer, she just didn't want to lose her only source of freedom. Again.
"He's smart. We're smarter." Kate reassured Elle who nodded. Right. There was nothing to worry about.
"Where are you from?" Maeve asked Spencer as they walked across the grass together.
"Not too far away, just over your eastern borders. When I heard the stories, I wanted to try and learn the truth for myself but I find myself more curious now that I am here." Spencer said and Maeve gave him a look. "I want to know why you dance Your Highness."
"Why does anyone dance if not for the enjoyment of it?" Maeve replied, careful not to give anything away. She would not be the one who ruined their secret. Not even for someone as handsome, polite, charming and intelligent as Spencer.
"I wouldn't know, I don't dance." Spencer replied truthfully. Dancing never held much appeal to him and that lack of appeal coupled with his lack of co-ordination, his inability to make friends as a child and devoting his time to studying and caring for his mother; he simply never learnt how to dance or why so many enjoyed it.
"Why not?" Maeve asked. Dancing was one of the only times she ever had any confidence, when she was more than the quiet, shy, youngest princess. It was also her one source of freedom these days too.
"I never learnt. I never saw the appeal of it." Spencer replied truthfully. He also never had someone he wanted to dance with but as he looked at Princess Maeve, he suddenly realised that he did now know who he would like to dance with.
"Neither did I initially. It took my mother and my sisters a long time to get me to even attend our dance lessons and I believed nobody would notice if I couldn't dance. All my sisters are excellent dancers but the amount of times I would sit in the corner and read a book," Maeve trailed off and smiled at herself. She had never found it so easy to talk about herself and to a complete stranger too. Yet somehow she felt as though she and Spencer had known each other for forever. She couldn't explain it.
"So these are your herbalist's plants? There are so many different uses for each of them. These for example can be… can be…" Spencer trailed off as he looked at the range of plants, flowers and herbs before him. Already he could spot several which when mixed together in the right way created a powerful and effective sleeping potion.
A sleeping potion! Spencer suddenly realised the importance of these plants to Maeve. She was intelligent, had studied them and how to use them properly. It explained how nobody heard or seen the princesses leave for wherever they went. They were asleep.
"Sir, Spencer, are you alright?" Maeve asked, concerned by his chatter having turned to nothing as she looked at the plants. No. No he couldn't have worked it out.
"F-fine," Spencer replied quickly. He would need proof. This wasn't enough. "However I think I was wrong. We do have these where I come from. Your Highness."
"Very well," Maeve said. She still needed to distract him, if he was smart enough to figure out the truth, then just how intelligent was he? "You know, you don't have to refer to me as 'Your Highness'. You can call me Maeve,"
"Maeve," Spencer repeated, he could never get tired of saying her name. "I couldn't call you that, it's inappropriate. Besides I barely know you."
"It's not inappropriate, it's my name." Maeve countered. "And it seems to me you know a lot of things."
"I do seem to remember everything I see and read and can read whole books in a matter of moments. I guess you could say I'm a genius but there seems to be a great deal I'm yet to learn." Spencer offered and Maeve smiled at him.
"You shouldn't be so modest." Maeve replied and Spencer gave her a look.
"What about you, you seem to have a great knowledge of medicinal treatment and remedies." Spencer offered and Maeve shrugged her shoulders.
"It interests me and I was encouraged to know about it. Medical treatment is an important thing for princesses and future queens to know, especially in times of trouble, sickness or battle." Maeve explained. "What interests me the most however is the mind, it's an interesting, diverse and complex and I wish I knew more about it."
"I can understand that. My mother was never well, a sickness of the mind, it was called. I studied and researched it as much as I could but I could never find a cure for it. She passed a few years ago." Spencer explained and Maeve gave him a sympathetic look. She had heard of many such illnesses and how they could affect so many.
"I'm sorry to hear about that," Maeve said genuinely and Spencer gave her a brave smile.
"Thank you," Spencer said and looked around the gardens. It was only then that he realised they were alone together. The other princesses seemed to have gone inside and left them alone.
"Spencer, I know we've only known each other a short time but," Maeve hesitated. She had not done anything like this before, felt these things for someone before. She didn't know if she should say it or not. If she did feel what she felt, how did she know it was real or just some infatuation? What if he didn't feel the same way? Would she just end up making a fool of herself?
"What?" Spencer asked, unable to take his eyes off of the smart, beautiful princess. He had never been in love before but what he felt for her had to be love. He could see himself at her side every day. He could never be tired of her, or struggle to find something about her which didn't amaze him or wish to know her better. He knew why she danced, her love of medicines, the clear loss she felt for her mother and her love for her father and sisters. If this was love, how was he to act on it? Before his father left, he could remember how he would give his mother flowers or kiss her. Yet none of the flowers surrounding them even came close to matching Maeve's kind heart and gentle beauty and he couldn't kiss her without her permission. Could he?
Maeve stared back at him and in that moment they knew that they were thinking and feeling the same thing. Carefully, Spencer took Maeve's hand and stroked her fingers with his thumb before they took a step closer to each other and slowly began to move their faces closer. Maeve tilted her head to one side, Spencer tilted his to the other and closed their eyes. Just as their lips were about to touch, they could hear one of the guards calling in the distance.
"Princess Maeve!"
Maeve and Spencer jumped apart from each other, their faces turning scarlet at what was about to happen. Before Spencer could say anything, Maeve turned and ran across the gardens leaving him standing alone. Spencer looked back at the plants and herbs again before walking slowly across the grass again. Maeve and her sisters used these plants to create a sleeping potion to put whoever stood outside the room to sleep. Then what? Did they have a key to the door? Did they pick the lock? Where did they go to dance and why did they stay out all night? There were so many questions to be answered, yet when he tried to come up with solutions, all he could think of was Maeve and what it would be like to have held her properly in his arms, to have kissed her.
Spencer reached the door of the castle and was informed by a guard that King David had requested his presence at dinner with him and his daughters. His nerves returned ten-fold as he sat at the large table and was served fine food on golden plates. His nervous state wasn't helped by the fact Maeve determinedly avoided his gaze as she ate and as King David spoke to him, Spencer remembered why he was there; to solve the mystery of where the princesses went at night.
As each of the princesses looked up from her food and studied him, Spencer looked back at them and once again, his eyes found Maeve's. He knew how the princesses evaded their guards but how they escaped a locked room and where they went was still a mystery to him. He would have to find out tonight.
When dinner was over, Maeve and her sisters left their father and Spencer alone to talk about what Spencer had to do. The princesses made their way up to their tower where they changed into their nightgowns and poured the potion into an empty jug before deciding who would give it to Spencer when the time was right. Tonight it was Jennifer's turn and Maeve felt a sense of relief that it was not her.
Before long they could hear King David and Spencer walking towards their bedchamber and as they walked up the stairs, Jennifer quickly slipped out of their room and into the adjacent room where Spencer would be expected to set his belongings. She quickly set it on the table, taking the jug which had already been set there by a servant and ran back into their room, just managing to shut the door as the men reached the top of the stairs.
King David knocked and opened the door as he and Spencer stood in the doorway. The princesses were acting casual, Alex, Maeve and Elle appeared to have been reading, Penelope had been brushing her hair, Jennifer had been reaching for her nightgown and Emily was sitting on her bed. None of them were showing any signs of preparing to leave and as he looked around the room, Spencer could see no form of trapdoor or possible opening and there was no ivy on the tower high enough to reach the window. How did they leave?
"Girls, Spencer will be on guard tonight outside your door and in the morning I think he might be the one to finally solve this puzzle of yours." King David said and the princesses stood and curtsied to them both.
"Goodnight Father, goodnight Spencer," the sisters chorused as King David shut and locked the door and turned to Spencer.
"There is a room set aside here for you should you need it and I will be back just after dawn. Good luck." King David advised as he walked down the stairs and Spencer stepped into the small adjacent chamber. It was modestly furnished, there was a comfortable looking bed, a screen for someone to change behind, a mirror and by the window there was a table and chair, upon which stood a pewter jug and goblet. Remembering what he had seen earlier in the gardens, Spencer sniffed the liquid inside the jug and alongside the wine he could smell what was without doubt; a sleeping potion. He had served enough sleeping aids this way himself over the years both to countless patients and his mother when she was ill.
Spencer reached into his bag and pulled out the cloak the woman had given him on his journey to the castle and threw it on. To his surprise, when he looked in the mirror, he couldn't see himself. Spencer crept out of the room and pressed his ear to the princesses' chamber door where he could hear them debating in whispers.
"Should we go?"
"Do you think he's asleep?"
"Wait I think I hear something."
Spencer crept back into his room and picked up the goblet, struck by an idea. At the same time he knocked over the chair and dropped the goblet, both of them loudly hitting the floor and masking his quick steps back to the door where the princesses were now speaking a little louder.
"That was definitely the goblet, let's go."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, quickly, we're wasting time."
Spencer knelt by the door and waited until there was silence. He reached into his pocket and retrieved the key he had slipped from the king's pocket before he had gone down the stairs. Unlocking the door, the physician crept into the empty room and spotted two things different. The first was obviously the two large stones which opened as a trapdoor and the second was that one of the large stones on the wall was pushed in. Carefully avoiding falling through the trapdoor, Spencer walked over to the pushed in stone and touched it before pushing the ones on either side. It must be a trick stone, he thought as he turned back to the trapdoor. Pausing only to check in one of the princesses' mirrors that he was still invisible, Spencer began to creep down the stairs, carefully holding onto one side of the wall as he descended into the darkness, his ears pricked to try and hear the princesses' footsteps.
"Did you hear that?" Maeve's voice came suddenly, not too far in front of him, causing him to almost fall.
"What?" Kate asked, raising the candle she was holding up to cast light but seeing nothing strange.
"You're probably imagining it, we're almost there," Jennifer reassured as they got to the bottom of the stairs and down the passageway towards the door.
Spencer followed them more slowly, careful not to make any more sudden noises. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he kept walking carefully along the passage until he came to the ajar door and stepped through it. Spencer's mouth fell open as he stepped into the gardens. As he made his way along the path, he snapped one of the twigs from one of the silver trees and picked several of the many brightly coloured flowers as proof of where he had been.
Spencer could hear music as he walked further down the path. As he came to the end of the golden path, he saw the seven princesses dancing together on the pavilion. He watched their graceful carefree movements and again, it was Maeve who caught his full attention. Her hair shone under the moonlight and he understood now what she meant about loving the freedom given to her by her dancing. Indeed all the princesses seemed far happier now that they were out of their tower and dancing. Spencer was sure to keep himself hidden under his cloak and as they danced, he could see the freedom and happiness that their dancing gave them and understood why they went dancing every night. Before long, the princesses took a break from their dancing and as they splashed their faces in the cool water from the fountain, Spencer could hear them talking and he heard his name in the conversation.
"So Maeve, what did you and Spencer talk about earlier?" Alex asked her youngest sister as they sat on the grass. Maeve picked up a handful of grass, carefully shredding it as she avoided her sisters' gazes.
"We didn't talk much," Maeve began before a loud chorus of 'Ooooh!' from her sisters made her cheeks flush. "I didn't mean it like that. He asked me about the plants and our interest in medicine. I found it easy to talk to, normally when I talk to people, to strangers I mean, I find it difficult. With Spencer however, there was no effort, no pretence, I was just me."
"Aw, she's in love," Penelope said as she hugged Maeve. Whilst Penelope herself and Jennifer had found men who they had feelings for, there was something even more endearing about their youngest sister falling in love with the quiet, polite physician.
"Forget love, did you kiss him?" Elle asked eagerly and Maeve shook her head, her negative response gained protests from her sisters and they almost didn't hear Maeve's next confession.
"We were going to but I was called back inside by one of the guards." Maeve admitted with a small smile, she wished she had delayed long enough to kiss Spencer, just so that she knew what it was like to kiss a man.
"Well tomorrow morning, you do just that. Before he leaves you walk up to him and give him a big fat kiss on the lips!" Kate encouraged, puckering her own lips at Maeve who shook her head.
"I could never do that," Maeve said and she stood up. "I want to keep dancing."
"Nice avoidance," Jennifer said as she too got up and walked with Maeve back to the pavilion with Emily joining them. Spencer stood and watched them for a little while longer before he decided he had seen enough and turned back. However as he went to step off the side of the pavilion by the pillar he had been hiding behind as not to be caught; after all being invisible did not make him transparent, he stumbled slightly and fell into one of the flower beds. Spencer quickly ensured he was still covered by the cloak but knew that he had made plenty of noise.
"Did you hear that?" Emily asked as she paused and looked around. Maeve and Jennifer did the same but there was nothing they could see that was out of the ordinary. Undeterred the princesses went back to their dancing and Spencer quickly slipped out of the gardens, back through the door and up the stairs to where they met the trapdoor. He reached into his pockets and produced the silver branches and the slightly crushed flowers that he had taken as proof of where he had been. Spencer crept out of the princess' bedroom, locking the door behind him. Just as he was about to go into his chamber set aside for him, Spencer realised that King David would have to unlock the door again in the morning and he didn't know where the king's chambers were in order to put it back. Spencer looked at the stairs and had an idea, carefully he hurried to about halfway down the stairs and set the key down to make it appear as though the king had dropped it the night before. Spencer hurried back to his room, removed his cloak and carefully stowed the branches and flowers into his bag before collapsing onto the bed.
He had to wonder where the princesses got their energy to go dancing all night; he was exhausted.
The next morning, King David was surprised to find the key on the stairs as he made his way up to check on his daughters. He picked it up and unlocked the door to waken his sleeping daughters. As he stepped into the room, King David shook his head at the sight of the seven pairs of worn out shoes as the princesses woke up and did their best to hide their smiles as their father went to wake up Spencer. As she got dressed however, Maeve didn't smile and instead felt guilt press heavily on her stomach. She knew how much dancing meant to her and her sisters but her feelings for Spencer and the possibility of never seeing him again after this caused her to wonder whether they had been doing the right thing. After all, when would Jennifer be likely to see Will again or Penelope and Derek?
"Girls when you are ready, come down to the great hall." King David said as he led Spencer down the stairs towards the great hall, Spencer was quiet on the way there, he was nervous about what was to happen now. They didn't have to wait long for the seven princesses and they entered the hall and curtsied to their father and Spencer and greeted them.
"So Spencer, have you found out where my daughters go at night? Their shoes have been worn out yet again." King David said and the princesses looked at Spencer who caught Maeve's eye before he steeled himself and faced the king.
"Actually I do know where your daughters go at night; I know how they get there and I know why they dance at night." Spencer announced to shocked looks and gasps from the princesses, including Maeve. King David looked at Spencer with renewed respect.
"And how do you know that?" King David asked.
"I first became suspicious when I saw some of the plants and herbs you grow for your physicians. Many of them have been newly planted in contrast to some of the others and the newer plants and herbs can be used to create a powerful sleeping potion. Last night when you locked the door, I managed to slip the key from your pocket and I do apologise but I had to know if I was right however before I did enter the princesses' room I had to know they were gone. One smell of the contents of the jug left in the room told me that my suspicions were correct and I had to pretend I too had fallen victim to it. I entered the princesses' room and found that one of the stones on the wall can be pushed to open a secret trapdoor; through which there is a stone staircase, the bottom of which leads into a dark passage and an oak door. When I entered through the door, I found myself in a beautiful garden with trees made of silver and flowers in every colour imaginable. A gold path leads to a marble dance pavilion which plays music when you step onto it, there are rolling green lawns and a fountain that had clear water flowing from it constantly. That is where your daughters go every night to dance." Spencer explained to King David who looked from him to his seven daughters who all wore expressions of shock and surprise at being caught and acceptance of the truth. There was nothing else they could do, as he had spoken Spencer had taken the silver branch and flowers from his bag and handed them to the king as proof of where he had been.
"Is this true?" King David asked and the sisters looked at one another before Alex spoke.
"Yes Father, what Spencer says is true. We found the passage on our first night in the tower and we have been going to the gardens to dance." Alex confessed, looking at her sisters who nodded.
"We have, we know we shouldn't have gone," Emily said and Elle cut across her.
"But we had to Father," Elle insisted and King David looked at his daughters.
"You had to?" King David repeated but Spencer stepped forward.
"They're right Your Highness, you see it wasn't just where they went dancing that I discovered but why. Princess Maeve told me yesterday that she loved dancing because it was something she enjoyed with her sisters and her mother, the late Queen Erin. If I'm not mistaken, one of the reasons your daughters dance is because it reminds them of their mother. Dancing also gives them the freedom which they feel they have lost due to being locked in a tower at night. It takes away the restrictions they feel and it makes them happy. That is why your daughters dance at night." Spencer explained as King David looked at him and considered the truth in his words.
"He's right Father," Maeve said as she looked at Spencer. "Spencer's right."
"And you know he is," Kate added boldly.
"Maybe I was hasty in my decisions but I only wanted to protect you," King David conceded. He could imagine Erin standing next to him, berating him for his actions and reminding him of the courage and strength all his daughters had and how much damage he could have been doing to them by locking them away like common criminals.
"We understand that Father but we aren't little girls anymore," Jennifer said kindly.
"We're allowed our freedom, Alex is right, we never wanted to defy you but like Elle said, we had to be free." Penelope added and King David smiled at his daughters.
"You're right, I think I've kept you locked in that tower for long enough. I'll be sure to let the servants and guards know that you are all to be moved back to your old rooms tonight." King David said and the princesses grinned at each other and their father turned to Spencer. "Well Spencer, you solved the puzzle of my dancing daughters and the agreement was that whoever learnt the truth may marry one of my daughters."
"Yes Sire," Spencer replied, hardly daring to look at Maeve who was pointedly looking away from him and looking nervous. Spencer walked over to Maeve, the rest of the princesses excitedly stepping out of the way, and took her hand before he knelt down on one knee.
"Princess Maeve, I know we haven't known each other for a long time but already I feel like I have known you for forever. I want you to know I would never hurt you or keep you from dancing or ever take away your freedom. I love you Maeve and I will always love you even though you are a princess and deserve so much more than a mere physician. Please, will you do me the honour of being my wife?" Spencer asked, allowing Maeve to see the pure love he had for her and the truth of his words. He loved her and as he knelt before her, Maeve knew what she felt for him was true.
"Yes, yes Spencer I love you too and don't care if you're a physician. I'll be happy to marry you." Maeve replied with a joyful grin as Spencer stood up and looked at her nervously.
"May I," Spencer said by way of asking to continue what they had hoped to do yesterday. Maeve nodded and smiled as Spencer took a step closer to her and gently kissed her lips.
Not long afterwards, Spencer and Maeve were married in a marvellous wedding celebration, the party of which lasted a whole week. Love was also in the air for Jennifer and Penelope who reunited with Will and Derek at Maeve and Spencer's wedding and got their blessing from King David to marry. King David also kept his promise and none of the princesses ever had to stay in the tower again however it didn't stop all of them returning through the trapdoor again to the gardens at least once for old times' sake.
And they all lived happily ever after.