A/N: As promised, the first of a series of one-shots set in the Erenne and Fiefling universes. Chronologically, this one shot occurs between the two stories, so if you want the story before this, read Erenne. If you want Cian's own story, read Fiefling.

The series is marked as Complete, because each one-shot is complete in itself, but when I get more ideas, I'll add them here. This particular ficlet contains slight spoilers for Cast in Peril, but only in the case of two things: Nightshade apparently has an awesome singing voice, and the Barrani have odd ideas of what makes a good lullaby.

Disclaimer:I do not own the Chronicles of Elantra. They belong to Michelle Sagara.

Sweet Dreams

To say Kaylin was a nervous wreck upon returning to work for the first time since Cian's birth would be an understatement. She never thought she would see the day when she wanted her leave to be longer—most of the time she was forced on leave, she was chafing at the bit to get back in the office. This time, however, she had spent quite a bit of time remembering that Cian had just discovered crying and making a fuss got results, and that the Castle was full of Barrani men, many of whom, she was almost certain, had probably never even held a baby.

So as soon as work let out, she rushed home, staying just long enough to tell Marcus that, yes, he could tell Kayala she would come over to visit, and promising Severn that, yes, he could tell Linn the same. She managed to slip out of the office before anyone else could say the same. Apparently, everyone wanted to see the baby.

Kaylin, at this point, counted as part of everyone. She had just been contemplating whether or not jumping out the window was a viable escape plan when Severn came to her rescue, as he always did. He walked her to the bridge, and seemed in a fairly good mood about it too, which puzzled her until she remembered that Cian's birth had probably won him a good chunk of the office betting pool. Teela had apparently been on the same side of the betting pool as Severn—she had been surprisingly green-eyed when she came to talk to Kaylin today, informing her that she could bring Cian to the office sometime if she wanted to give her a proper Barrani role model.

Kaylin, thinking of the Barrani Hawk who drank like a fish, got into bar brawls that would have put human Hawks out of action for a few days, and would probably drive a carriage into a curb if had the chance, refrained from pointing out that she wasn't sure that would be much better. In contrast, Tain's eyes were slightly on the blue side, and he refused to even look at Teela.

But regardless, she had managed to escape, and was quick to see Severn off at the Ablayne, doing her best to walk briskly through the streets and not jog frantically towards the Castle. She was concerned enough that she stepped through the portal herself instead of waiting for Nightshade to come out and get her, letting out a sigh of relief when it left her only a little dizzy, instead of giving her the usual discomfort and disorientation. It had been nicer to her since Cian was born—whether that was because of Cian or because of the events of the night of her birth, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to complain about it.

A little dizziness was easy to walk off, and by the time she entered the Long Halls, she was already walking at her usual pace.

It seemed like her worry wasn't entirely unfounded. As soon as she crossed into the area that held Cian's room, she could hear the faint sound of crying. She lengthened her stride, wondering for just a moment if Cian had been fussy all day, and if Nightshade had somehow just left her there for some gods-unknown reason.

The sound of crying grew in volume, and Kaylin debated whether or not she would look like a lunatic if she ran. She was just about to burst in through the nursery door when she stopped in her tracks. Another voice had joined Cian.

This one wasn't crying. It was singing.

It was a deep, rich voice, although it sang softly, as if it's owner didn't want to be overheard. She recognized it instantly. She had heard Nightshade sing a few times before, on the long road on the way to the West March, his harmony intertwining with the Consort's melody in a fusion that had been so perfect she had almost forgotten about little things like, well, saving the Barrani Court, while listening to it. She had heard him sing in her mind, guiding her into carrying the harmony for the Consort in his place—her version of the song had been markedly less perfect. Neither of those were experiences easily forgotten.

And she realized, with a start, that she recognized the song he was singing. It was the song Hallionne Bertolle had sung to the Court as they slept, the song that had taken the edge off the Consort's nerves for a moment and let her sleep.

It was, the Consort had told her, the Barrani equivalent to a lullaby.

She hesitated, transfixed by the sound of his voice as she stood with one hand on the doorframe, looking out into the room. He was standing in front of Cian's cradle, his back towards her. Kaylin realized dimly that as he sang, the sounds of crying had died down, replaced by the soft gurgling sounds of the infant cooing.

She really couldn't blame Cian for that one.

At length, even the soft sounds Cian was making died out entirely, and with it, the singing came to a close. Nightshade looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes telling her that he had known she was there from the moment she entered. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, walking over to him. "Please tell me that wasn't the one that promises a gruesome and terrible death to your enemies," she said.

He smiled in response. It was a very Barrani smile. "Did you entirely miss the part about dreamless sleep and safety, Erenne?" he asked. "I find the song a comfort."

"You would," said Kaylin in response, coming to stand next to him. She couldn't help the stupid smile on her face as she looked down into the cradle at Cian. She understood for the first time why some of the Hawks who were new parents felt the need to tell everyone everything that their baby did, although she did generally remember to hold back unless she was asked. Cian was fast asleep, her breathing soft and steady and her head tilted slightly to the side. Kaylin trailed her fingers across her daughter's cheek, sweeping dark hair out of her eyes before looking up at Nightshade.

He was watching her with a mix of amusement and something else on his face. The something else was not something she had yet been able to name, but it was the sort of thing that made her occasionally wonder if there was a transitory color between green and violet. She glanced at his eyes. They were still fully emerald, so it looked like she would not be getting her answer at this time.

"I don't know if promising gruesome deaths is the best way to get a child to sleep," she said, smiling in spite of herself, because content of the lullaby aside, Nightshade had sung Cian to sleep.

"What do mortals sing, then?" asked Nightshade.

Kaylin frowned, trying to think through the lullabies she had heard in the foundling halls, and the ones that came from a time when she was younger, before her mother died and the world became entirely too cold. "...Other things," she said. "Sweet dreams, silly stories, things like that."

Nightshade inclined his head towards the cradle, and Kaylin understood after a moment that he expected her to sing. She took a deep breath, about to argue, but since he had all but asked her outright to defend her claim that mortal lullabies were more suitable, turned towards Cian instead and sung the first thing that came to mind.

It was, unfortunately, Rock-A-Bye, Baby, which was in hindsight probably not the best example. She realized it as she reached the end, trailing off lamely on the last note and glancing up at him, trying not to look too sheepish. He quirked a brow at her.

"Erenne," he said. "I fail to see how accidental death due to parental negligence is much better."

"Well, it's not the best example," she said, remembering in time to keep quiet for Cian's sake. "It was just the first that came to mind."

"The point stands," replied Nightshade. He glanced down at Cian as she shifted in her sleep, then looked back over at Kaylin. "...She will sleep for some time yet," he said. "Have you eaten?"

She recognized it as an invitation to dine with him, so she shook her head, taking his offered arm and letting him lead her out of the room. As he left, he closed the door to the nursery behind him, looking inside one last time to make sure nothing was amiss before leading her towards the dining hall.

"Besides, Erenne," he said calmly as they walked. "It wasn't entirely an unfounded promise."