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Gruit is a spiced mixture used to sweeten beer prior to the discovery of hops in the 10th century. Read more about gruit here.

 Oh, Gruit, the Dark One Comes

By Bergen son of Tryggve

 

“There, within the shadowed brink,

The Dark One comes with lavished drink,

For ne’er will a maid there be,

As sweet as my Sweet Gruit, my drink.

–

Beyond the brink, she comes with me,

My bed that night I’ll share with she,

No deeds were e’er as great as she,

Save for my sword, my tongue, and me.

–

Within the brink and finest hour,

When fullest body, I devoured,

There it was that I deflowered,

The fruits she bore within my bower.

–

Ne’er mind what Day-Gone thinks,

Nor what I lay beyond the brink,

For when I lay me down to sleep,

My coupled lass, My Gruit will sing.

–

Although my sword may lose its sheen,

Although sweet Gruit, she may dream,

Of sharper swords, of hops, and things,

To me my Gruit, will always be,

My first, my dearest Gruit, my sweet.”

 

This is an excerpt from Fire and Lies (Tales of the Drui Book #2).