[Fic] "I Have a Secret" -- The Dark Is Rising

[edenfalling]

Summary: Jane plans to study archaeology. She'll explain about the 'underwater' part some other day. (200 words exactly)

Note: This ficlet was written for rosaxx50 as part of a three-sentence meme, in response to the prompt: TDIR, Jane Drew. I failed the structural restriction yet again, though I did wrangle it down to four sentences which is at least movement in the right direction. It's also another double drabble, just because. [Tumblr crosspost]

[ETA: The AO3 crosspost is now up!]

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I Have a Secret
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"I suppose we'll have to call you Indiana Jane now," Barney said when Jane announced her university plans at supper.

"Archaeology is mostly dusty books and hot summers grubbing about in thousand-year-old latrines," Jane said in a deliberately deflating tone, "and no, before you ask, I refuse to waste my life haring around trying to unearth evidence of a historical Arthur; I'll already be spending enough time trying to live down that melodramatic grail business we stumbled into with Gumerry, not to mention the trouble of living up to the less ridiculous parts of his reputation."

This both neatly diverted the conversation into a discussion of their much-missed great uncle and the more unlikely aspects of his life, and provided a plausible source of Jane's career inspiration that had nothing to do with her recurring dream of underwater ruins and a vast, green presence that called her to come and share a secret.

Jane touched the charm she wore around her neck -- a tiny, delicate wreath of hawthorn and rowan, all wrought in gold as a birthday gift (and apology) from Will -- and renewed her silent promise to the Greenwitch: I remembered you, and nothing will make me forget again.

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End of Ficlet

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I think oceanography would be an equally sensible response under the circumstances, but I went with archeology because of the Drews' connection to Merriman, and also because Britain's deep history is a running theme in canon.

Timeline note: Jane and Bran seem to be Will's age, give or take a few months. So far as I can tell, Will is twelve and a half (maybe thirteen and a half, but certainly no older) during Silver on the Tree, which takes place in 1977 at the absolute earliest. Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in 1981. Barney's joke is historically possible. (Yes, I did actually take five minutes to verify that. *headdesk*)

Comments

[rosaxx50]

I don't know how you do it, but you always seem to manage to hit on my favourite plot points for each fandom. In this case, I love that Jane is still haunted by the Greenwitch - she still has this big loose end, and so the Greenwitch won't let her forget. And I love that Jane is actively trying to find it, but secretively, like she knows that she'd be made to forget again.

Jane and Bran's banter is perfectly adorable, too, and I'm laughing internally at the image of Bran teasing Jane over and over, asking her to find King Arthur.

(Also, the Jane/Will shipper in me is gleeful that he's mentioned at all, with what sounds like a rather expensive birthday present.)

[edenfalling]

Thank you! Greenwitch is probably my favorite book in the sequence (by a tight margin, but still) and I always felt terrible that the Light made Jane forget the Greenwitch after so much had been made of their connection.

I think, in the backstory to this scene, Jane either told Will that she remembered or he sensed the fraying of the spell, and they had a rather painful conversation that ended with him offering a concrete apology since he's often (as per The Grey King) not so great with using words in human ways.

[watersword]

Love it.

[edenfalling]

Thanks! :-)