Tale of Griedwen

From the time she was an elfin tot
Greidwen’s nose felt every breeze
To always have the best, her lot
although the best did not appease
Her haughty poise was widely known
The people, peons she repelled
Seemingly with heart of stone
What friends she had were covet held
Greidwen strove to satisfy
a need she could not name
which riches did not mollify
just more rapacious she became
One day she spied an orphaned child
who wore a silver amulet
Abhorred, this elfin, soiled and wild
possessed the lovely periapt
She lay abed and there contrived
to make the amulet her own
Griedwen refused to be deprived
of this prize that should be hers alone
She set out in the depth of night
while all the people slept
Avoiding shine of oil light
to the small waif’s bedside crept
The young one sighed in slumbered peace
with one hand on her chest
against a coverlet of fleece
her fingers wrapped round Griedwen’s quest
Cunning Griedwen touched the stone
embedded in the silver set
her movement roused the girl to moan
and Griedwen gasped when their eyes met
The child smiled in innocence
not once considering what was true
Griedwen stilled her sly offense
then slowly she withdrew
The child spoke with quiet pride
stroking soft the pendant chain
Her mother’s gift before she died
that eased the orphan’s pain
She said that when the silver shone
she felt her mother’s sheltered arm
When fear and cold chilled to the bone
its message made her safe and warm
Now Griedwen felt the strangest thing
Inside herself a tortured ache
Distress had caused her eyes to sting
Tears fell as though her heart would break
The younger touched her with concern
thus, Griedwen sobbed in wretched grief
It took this child for her to learn
the course to finding her relief
This one who slept on dirty straw
had a smile of happiness
She had naught but her eyes saw
the wealth Griedwen did not possess
Griedwen came to know the child
and took her as she were her own
She found possessions she’d compiled
gave not the joy she thought she’d known
It was the joy and peace within
not trinkets made by men
Heart treasures that made Griedwen
so much richer than she’d ever been