Once upon a time, a rich merchant had three sons. When grown, the eldest wished to see the world. His father provided a ship, and the young man sailed away.
He arrived at a town where a royal proclamation offered the king's daughter in marriage to anyone who could find her within eight days—failure meant death. Confident, the eldest son accepted the challenge but failed and was beheaded.
Worried by his brother's disappearance, the second son set sail and landed at the same harbor. Seeing the proclamation, he guessed his brother's fate but attempted the search anyway. He, too, failed and lost his head.
Finally, the youngest son embarked on a journey to find his brothers. The wind blew him to the same fateful harbor. Reading the notice, he understood what had happened but decided to try his luck.
On the way to the castle, he met an old beggar woman. After initially dismissing her, he confessed his quest. She offered to help in exchange for his wealth, instructing him to have a goldsmith craft a golden lion with crystal eyes and a mechanism to play tunes.
The young man obeyed. The old woman hid him inside the lion and presented it to the king. Enchanted, the king borrowed it to show his daughter. That night, he secretly took the lion through a hidden passage beneath his floor, past seven locked doors, to a hall where the princess and eleven identical companions resided.
Hidden inside, the young man saw the princess but realized he could not distinguish her later. That night, he spoke to her from within the lion, revealing his identity and quest. Moved, the princess promised to tie a white sash around her waist on the eighth day so he could identify her.
The next day, the old woman retrieved the lion. The young man then presented himself to the king to officially undertake the search. For seven days, he pretended to search the palace. On the eighth day, he demanded the floorboards be lifted, revealing the secret staircase. He compelled the king to unlock all seven doors.
In the hall stood the twelve identical maidens. One silently tied a white sash around her waist. The young man immediately identified her as the princess and claimed her as his bride. The defeated king consented to the marriage.
After the wedding, the couple sailed to the young man's homeland with great treasure. They never forgot the old woman who made their happiness possible and provided for her for the rest of her life.