Kerr blinked at the man, then grinned widely. Well, now he supposed he knew what happened when you drank the tea too quickly...
Good to know.
"Not what I had in mind, no. Hey, look, I'll make you a one-time deal here. It's not something I usually do, but it might help you sleep."
Kerr took a sip of the melted snow beside the fire, then cleared his voice softly and began to sing. His voice was soft, but there was an almost unnatural beauty about his melody and the way he formed the words to the song. The rhythm was almost hypnotic, lulling the Grand Duke to sleep with a folk song so old it had been all-but forgotten by most.
"In the fields, the grains began to sway,
In the reddening dawn of that final day.
And the voice carried 'pon the wind
Promised hope, peace, forgiveness of sin
All those who fought and all those who died.
Though we live on, not a one survived
Murdered by guilt, by fear, or pride.
Sacrificed all at the whim of a lord,
He remembered but forgotten the horde,
All those who fought and all those who died."