The Invisible (Jelsa)

Chapter XXXI

Elsa wandered through the castle and heard soft crying coming from Rin's room. She never in a million years imagined walking in on her 19 year old crying like a little girl who had tripped and fallen to be sprawled out on her bed.

"Rin? What's wrong?" She asked with worry.

"Go away!" Rin said, grabbing a cloth and dabbing her eyes, "Go away, mom!"

Rin's hair, which in the same type of rebellion Heimdall had experienced when he turned 18, had been chopped off and now looked like a bird had made a nest. She tried to stifle her motherly urge to pat it down, but Rin was glaring at her and hugging a pillow so tightly Elsa imagined it would break.

"Okay. Dinner will be soon, though." She said, knowing when to leave her eldest daughter alone.

"I'm not hungry!" Rin said, throwing the pillow, "Just leave!"

Elsa wandered around in deep confusion and worry the remainder of the time until dinner. Jack noticed, and commented on Rin's absence.

"She's in her room...crying. She won't tell me why." Elsa whispered.

"Oh." Jack frowned, quieting, "I should go talk to her."

"It won't help. You're useless around a crying girl." Elsa said, "Just...give her time. I can't even imagine what it might be though." Azura came in, gently leading Colbourne into his seat.

It was hard, living with a blind child. He couldn't see almost anything, and to cover his mikly looking eye they had a little eyepatch made. Jack had been bright about it.

"You're a pirate now! Arrg!" Elsa had to admit that her husband always knew what to say.

At first, Azura had stayed away from him, partly because she couldn't deal with the guilt, and secondly because for a long while he looked at her in fear every time she entered the room. Most recently, though, seeing as Pabbie had been correct about his lack of memory, she had become his protector. She went nearly everywhere with him.

"I took away his sight, Mom." She had said, "It's only fair I give mine to him whenever I can."

"No one blames you." Elsa had said more times than she could count, "If you had done nothing, you may have both been killed."

Now, Azura sat in her usual spot next to her brother, telling him quietly what was in front of him and where. If only her other children could get along so well.

"Where's Kai?" Gavner asked looking around as he sat.

"I don't see Eira either." Anna said, "Or Heimdall and Aoife."

"Oh, Heimdall is finishing some work for the council and Aoife is feeling a little under the weather. She ate some chicken soup already." Jack said, filling in the blanks, "I don't know where the other two are."

"Well, no use waiting. I'm hungry." Elsa declared, and there was a sigh of relief, and everyone tucked in to a delicious chicken dinner.

There was sharp and girly giggling from the hall leaning to the dining room, which brought Elsa from her meal. She looked up, and soon most of the table was perked up in interest. Colbourne, who had begun to rely heavily on all his other senses, wrinkled his nose.

"Kai? And Eira?" He asked.

"That's unexpected." Jack said, raising an eyebrow. The two stumbled into the room together, smiling like goons.

"Mom! Mom we have the best news!" Eira was blushing hard and had a look of eternal joy plastered on her face.

"Kai? You're late!" Gavner reprimanded, "Don't be rude, now come and sit."