The king and queen sit in the corner, bound together in two ladderback chairs while the raccoon watches its cauldron.

Not a moan or a groan do they make -- the raccoon has made sure of that. All they can do is shift their eyes and give it indignant stares. Even their guards dare not approach. They have no interest in serving the same fate.

Who has time for whining, anyway? This is the most excitement the raccoon has seen in a long time.

The princess stands stone-still, her arms twined tightly around her lover's shoulders. She shakes with fright, her eyelids twitching with anxiety. Ah, to be blind, what a shock it must be. Especially for a young woman so privileged as a princess.

Scarlett sets her mouth in a grimace, surveying the puzzle in front of her. She holds the princess around the waist, giving her hair reassuring strokes. "Jade," the peasant says. "I will guide you. Don't worry about a thing."

The raccoon cackles to itself as the princess's face blanches to milk-white. "I will not move!" she announces. "I will not move until I can see!"

Sighing, Scarlett begins to pull her screaming lover away from the sealed room entrance.

"Turn back! Turn back!" the princess shrieks. "No, no! Scarlett! Stop right this minute! Let go of me!"

The peasant ignores Jade's kicking and struggling, towing the princess along behind her with an iron grip. "My love," she sighs, "You're making this quite difficult. Relax, please. Walk."

The princess will not. "Let go of me, Scarlett!"

"Do you trust me?"

The question catches Jade off guard. She pauses in her struggle, mouth turned down at the corners. Her sightless green eyes blink once. "I . . . I . . ." she searches for words. Finally, she chooses, "Yes."

Scarlett nods. "Then quit fighting me. I won't let you fall."

The raccoon grins, curling up in a ball on the window sill. How sweet they are together. It dearly hopes they do not fall to their deaths in the near future.

The princess lets the pauper take her by the waist again, shuffling a step along the narrow platform. It ends in less than a foot's length. Scarlett pauses, assessing the next section. When the strip of rock ends, a mosaic of circular platforms begins. Spaced two feet apart, the jumps should prove a challenge for the newly-sightless princess. The raccoon hides its eyes for a moment in apprehension.

The peasant lets out a low whistle. "Stay right where you are," she says. Then, unclasping her arm from Jade's waist, she jumps from the platform.

Scarlett lands with shaky footing, breathing hard. Jade's face crumples, her blind eyes misting with tears. "Scarlett?" she cries. "Where are you? Come back!"

"I'm right here, darling," the peasant says. She speaks in a slow, calming voice although her face two has become white as a sheet. Her hands shake violently. "Do you trust me?" she repeats.

"Yes! Yes!" the princess sobs, tears overflowing. "I'm sorry I doubted you, Scarlett. Just please -- please don't leave me here! I didn't mean to hurt you before, with what I said! I love you. Don't leave me!"

Scarlett shakes her head although the princess can't see it. "No, I'm not leaving you," she assures Jade. "I'm right here. Do you hear where my voice is coming from?"

Eyes still watering, the princess nods.

"Good. Now, jump."