The Sandal of Adreffa

##### A common fairy tale told by the common people of Verissamore

Once upon a time there was a rich nobleman who spent all of his days seeking wealth and opulence. His lavish lifestyle of constant feasting, over rich clothes worn only once, and extravagent parties was such that all of those lower born on his lands suffered under the burden of cruelly high taxes. The common people cried out to the Gods for forbearance from these trials, praying daily for freedom from their lord's excess.

One day the lord found himself walking through his garden full of exotic and imported plants. They were tended day and night by many peasants, and the amount of water that went towards their care could have procided a small village, their flocks, and their fields with some left over. As always, though, the plants brought him no joy. In all of his excess he was still no happier than he had been before he had gotten them. When will my suffering end? He thought. When will I have enough to bring me joy?

Turning back towards his opulent gold and marble palace he sighed bitterly, lamenting that he didn't have even more rare flower and plants. As he walked he heard something he hadn't heard in a long time. The sound of a voice lifted in joyful song. Following the noise he found himself in a clearing with a young woman. She sat there with doe brown hair weaving simple crowns with the small daisies that grew wild. How was she so happy with such simple things? He scoffed, and she turned, startled. She had the most beautiful face the lord had ever seen, and he determined that he must possess her.

Smiling, he offered the young woman all the riches of his lands would she accept to be his bride. She angrily told him "I would rather have a single daisy than all the riches you could ever offer me!" and then ran away, leaving behind one threadbare sandal with a broken strap in her haste.

The lord was displeased by her answer but felt he could persuade her otherwise. Taking the sandal to his personal staff he told them to make him a beautiful slipper that would fit the foot the torn sandal had fallen from.

They delivered him a beautiful pair of slippers made of the richest silks, adorned with the most beautiful of pearls and the Lord took it to the same clearing, hoping the maiden would come back. She did come back, in search of her lost sandal and the lord offered her the precious slippers instead, promising her many more shoes like them if she but stayed and agreed to become his bride.

Once again she scorned him, saying "I would rather go barefoot all of my days than ever be yours!"

The Lord was angrier than before and reached out to her, grabbing and ripping her shawl. She ran away in fear, leaving behind her torn shawl.

He took this now to his clothiers and demanded a new pair of slippers and a beautiful fine coat that matched them for his future bride. They obliged, this time with a deep red brocade small set of heeled slippers and a matching coat so soft it felt like clouds.

The next day the lord took these offerings to the clearing to try to tempt the young woman again. Again she spurned him, which made him even angrier than before. This time he reached for her, determined to have her by whatever means necessary. He gripped her arms cruelly and in his rage tore her dress. He was instantly struck blind and the young womans voice changed, her limbs turning to mist beneath his hands.

"I had hoped to show you the simple joys of the world, but instead you only wanted to possess more and more, knowing that it wouldn't make you happy. Now you will learn your lesson the hard way. I am the Goddess Adreffa, and I curse you to become the least of those that you trod upon while allowing that poor man to take your place. If I were you, I would hope he was a kinder Lord than you."

The former lord found himself now blind and lame. Scared and alone, he stumbled through the forest near what had once been his palace. Unable to find his way, he limped along as best as he could hoping against hope that someone might find him and take pity upon him.

A few days later, he was found by a detachment of what had once been his guard.

"Why are you in the Lord's forest!" they demanded in fierce voices. Humbled by his experience, the now beggar replied meekly "Please, I am lost. I didn't mean to intrude." His voice sounded different than it had before, broken and old, ravaged by time and sickness. He was surprised to hear what had once been his voice calling out "Bring the man to the palace, we have much to spare and Adreffa would smile upon us for doing what we can for this humble creature."

The beggar remembered the goddesses words and found himself weeping in relief that the man who had taken his place was a better one than him.

That night he slept on a bed of simple straw and ate a meal of plain brown bread with a homey soup- far poorer fare and lodgings than he had ever had before in his former life, but he found himself truly grateful for them in a way he had never been for his fluffy goosedown bed or elaborate delicacies.

The next day, the new lord asked him if he desired any boon that could be granted and the beggar felt it was a test directly from Adreffa. He had no desire for wealth anymore, though. For the first time in his life he had found happiness and gratitude and the feeling meant more than all the riches in the world.

He asked the lord instead, "Please my lord, I know that you have in your posession a torn sandal from the foot of a peasant girl who was more than she appeared. I would beg of you the possession of that sandal that I might take it and tell of the goodness of Adreffa to all across the land."

He was granted his boon, and with the sandal around his neck he traveled all over, living the life of a traveling holy man subject to the kindness of others.

This is why all who are followers of Adreffa and choose to spread her words of simple gratitude and humility show their choice of path by taking their sandal and tearing it and carrying it forevermore as a sign of their devotion to their Goddess.