Actually, I think Ferox4 and I are thinking of the same tale... You could easily put them together (although, then, the "one true ring" will be the most valuable thing there).
Here're some more ideas:
The Love is in some sort of magical stasis. She is trapped in a well, wrapped in chains and magic, unable to speak, move, or even perceive! The Witch says, that in order to free her, the following must be done:
"The one true ring from the chest of gold,
Must be brought from the dry well as foretold.
Upon her finger it must rest,
To end the first part of your quest."
(See above. This is a Ring of Free Action, and will allow the Love to speak and move, though still confined.)
"Then bring to me that which can grow,
Without rain, or ice, or snow,
And be not dead, nor yet alive,
Nor yet undead, in pieces, five."
(This one will consternate them for a bit, unless they're very sharp, know the answer, or get help from someone along the way... The answer, of course, is a large chunk of desert sandstone, broken into five pieces.)
"To free your Lover from the spells,
Within which she eternal dwells,
Bring that which burns for years and years,
Within that which cries without tears!"
(Easy to do, tough to figure out, unless you know the song - Love can burn for years and years, but only the heart can cry without tears - the trapped Love's lover already has Love in his Heart, he just has to figure out what is needed! This counts as two tests. Also, they might think that the Everburning Torch is part of the solution... but how to get it into someone's heart?)
"To free her from eternal banes,
You need the Key that shatters chains,
And cleanses her from all her stains,
And with this done, the worst remain!"
(This needs some set-up... What sets the prisoner free, and cleanses you from all your stains? Answers could be Love (but that's already been used), or God, or Forgiveness... Pick one, and drop some hints before the game starts. If you're going to use God, he's everywhere, and, again, all they hafta do is figure it out, and "claim the answer". Alternately, you could use a holy symbol... If you pick Forgiveness, then you need to open the lovers' sad tale with how she betrayed him, somehow, so that the PCs can figure out that he needs to forgive her. "The worst" refers to the seven remaining tests.)
"And now, to Donjon you are sent,
To open the calderic vent,
Beyond the wall not made by hands,
Before returning to my lands! (POOF!)"
(The PCs are instantly transported to a dungeon. They encounter a pit trap with an Awakened Mouse (see above) and a dead adventurer inside... The skeleton has been there so long that all his gear is rusty, but the Gauntlet of Rust is still good... The poor mouse is starving, and can't get out. It will beg for its freedom. The PCs can do what they want. Later, though, after many misadventures, they come to the wall of iron, and can use the Gauntlet to bring it down. Beyond it is a locked door with no mechanismto pick (How odd!). Eventually, they find the Bridge of Hair, which will break if they mess with it, much. Unfortunately for them, it is within an Anti-Magic shell! Only a VERY small creature could cross it to return the key... Something like, say, (Ah! You guessed it!) a poor little starved mouse?)
By now, the Witch is getting angry, so she requests harder, more dangerous stuff...
"Now, to free her from the well,
You must ring the silent bell,
From the Forest of the Night,
Found somewhere within the blight."
(The Forest of the Night is a dangerous Faery Realm, where it is always night. They must find a blighted tree within that forest, where they will only see a glint shining. They will have to climb the tree to get the bell. This glass bell has no clapper, and "ringing" it does nothing... If they head back, it STILL does nothing! It doesn't work!! Now what? Bardic Knowledge/Legend Lore will reveal that the Silent Bell never had a clapper, but did have a note, which was last seen in possession of a Bard, who was last known to be... you guessed it... in the Forest of the Night! He doesn't have it, though, as the East Wind took it away! It is now in a cloud cave in a cloud near a cliff in the Forest... Once the PCs find the Bard it should be easy to get (Epic Jump, Fly spell, etc). Once the note is in the bell, it can be rung, the Princess rises from the well, and two more quests are done!)
Now the Witch is REALLY mad!
"Sand from the shore of the waterless sea,
Thirty two leaves from a vampire tree,
Brought back here, immediately,
Is what it takes to pacify me!"
(A Trap and a trick! The PCs can't get them back immediately (unless they can time travel), and the vampire tree will probably get them killed, as the leaves can "fly" and suck blood. Sand from the shore of the waterless sea is easy, as they have already been to the desert, once! In any case, even if these two quests are met, they were not met "immediately", and the Witch will remain unpacified!)
"Only two quests now remain;
The first of these is to stay sane.
The second is to win this key...
To do that, you must defeat ME!"
And the Witch opens combat with an Insanity area-effect spell. If the PCs remain sane, and can slay her, then the Princess is freed.
(I think that was twelve tests?)
