[Fic] "No Quarter" -- Chronicles of Narnia

[edenfalling]

Jadis and Cynara. 200 words on the end of the war and the end of the world.

[ETA: The AO3 crosspost is now up!]

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No Quarter
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If she had simply wanted to win the war, Jadis could have done so. Yes, Cynara broke her army. Yes, Cynara took the city. Yes, Cynara was a heartbeat away from running Jadis through on the point of her sword.

But Jadis had breath to speak and space to move and will to shift her desire into reality. Even without the Deplorable Word, she was the strongest magician Charn had seen for generations. And Cynara had left her honor guards three steps back, so she could approach Jadis in a show of victory.

Jadis could have burned Cynara to ashes, stripped the air from her lungs and the blood from her veins, turned her to stone, shredded her into a mist of falling flesh and bone.

But that was never in question. That would have proved nothing. Cynara knew Jadis's power. She only dared approach alone because she misunderstood the game. She thought Jadis was stepping aside for a time, gathering her forces to stage a rebellion in a year or three.

Cynara had played for the throne. She thought their game had limits.

Jadis had played for the universe.

And in that game, there was no victory but annihilation.

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Inspired by the 1/18/10 15_minute_fic word #126: expert

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I love writing Jadis. Her narrative voice is so clear and direct and uncompromising. Yes, I know she's evil -- you will never get any argument from me on that point -- but her evilness does not make her any less awesome.

(The tenses in this fic are a little sloppy, but I think the gist is clear, and subjunctive and past perfect are a pain anyway.)

Comments

[legxleg.livejournal.com]

wow, I was re-reading The Magician's Nephew and wishing I could find fic about Jadis's origin, and what should I stumble upon but your LJ. This fic is fantastic, and gets in so much in spite of being so short. Thank you for writing it.

[edenfalling]

Thank you very much! I've written several other stories about Jadis, which you can find if you click on the "fic: chronicles of narnia" tag above this story.