- A week before Christmas it snows, and the girls play outside, throwing snowballs at the latest gentleman, Baron Hubermann.
- The King rides over on his horse and asks if any of them want to ride with him. They all say no—so the King snatches up Hollyhock and takes her for a ride around the meadow. It looks fun, so all the girls take a turn.
- While caring for the horses afterward, the girls find one of their mother's brooches. It's black, so they pester the King to let them have it and wear it (since it's proper for mourning), and he finally agrees.
- The girls go dancing that night, but in the morning, Hollyhock has lost the brooch. Azalea storms down there to confront Keeper, since she's sure he's taken it, but he refuses to give it back, saying that the brooch should encourage the girls to try harder to look for the magic item.
- Azalea tells him to keep the brooch, and that they'll never come back to dance; Keeper asks her for one last dance, and she refuses.
- Suddenly the pavilion is filled with mad, monstrous dancers who practically trample Azalea. And then Azalea sees her mother, wearing the brooch, with her lips stitched shut.
- Azalea realizes that Keeper has captured her mother's soul, because Keeper is the High King.
- Her mother vanishes, and the dancers shove Azalea to the ground—then Keeper appears in front of her, and tells her that he won't hurt her mother any further if she destroys the magic object for him by Christmas.
- He tosses the sugar teeth over to her, and tells her never to refuse him another dance again.