One day a poor wandering minstrel found a chunk of lead. He knew of a great alchemist in a far off land that could turn lead into gold. With only a few crumbs of bread left, he decided to risk his luck and see if he could reach this land. He carted this heavy rock for days imagining all that the gold could buy him and his family. Just when he was ready to collapse, he saw in the distance the castle where the Alchemist served the great Queen Oriana.

Exhausted, he fell into a deep sleep under a tree. Suddenly he was startled awake by an old woman. Under her murky gaze and toothless grin, she warned him about falling asleep here. The forest was teeming with man-eating trolls. Then, she offered him a truffle from her basket, but he was sure it was as poisonous as her breath. He lurched to his feet and ran away finding a boulder to hide behind. The old woman appeared suddenly behind him. She warned him he would starve in the woods if he kept running. He pivoted on his heel and ran around the boulder. Again she appeared in his path. He would never find his way back unless he had her help. There was a condition he must satisfy before she would help.

He must play his fiddle as if the old woman was his beloved. He gagged at the thought. If he failed, she would leave him to die at the hands of the trolls. He reached into his imagination and saw this wicked old woman as the beautiful Queen Oriana. He played with all his heart.

After he finished his song, he witnessed the old crone