Beautiful Eyes

"Make certain every entrance, exit, including the damn escapes are covered, we aren't taking a step until they are." Arman snapped. The woman a few feet from him, and his own son both looked at the tall man. Farron was only 6 but he easily recognized when his father was angry, it was uncommon for him. His little hand tightened in his fathers and Arman sighed, giving his son a reassuring look. He hated having him here, Farron had insisted though, wouldn't even let Arman get dressed until he'd promised to bring him.

"I want to see, maybe I can help Dad." Already, at 6, Farron had matured beyond "daddy", Arman missed it, his son was already reading at a high school level, learning alchemy and mathematics he shouldn't have started until his teens at the earliest.

Arman didn't believe in holding him back though, he let Farron set his own pace. He just needed more social time, to be around other children more, and Arman had resolved to make that happen.

His research into adoption had resulted in a friend mentioning the slave markets of Joya, that he should save a child from slavery. That had sparked his endless need to see justice, fairness...decency for everyone and had set the wheels in motion for this moment.

The underground slave trafficing market on the border of Bosco was being shut down today. Every slave within would be freed if Arman had his way, and...he would be seeking a child...Ganier, his wife...she had wanted a big family.

"I want 8" She had said as they had laid in bed, he'd been beside her, wrapped around her, his hand rubbing soft circles over her swollen belly. His eyes had flown wide. "Eight?! Good Gods Ganier...I was thinking 4." He chuckled and she had pulled him down for a long kiss that had him growling and his hand sliding lower on his wifes body. They'd barely caught their breath from the last round, that she had started, she was insatiable lately, not that Arman minded at all.

"Wicked...wonderful man...save that, we'll need it because I'm serious, I want 8, I only have a brother and you were an only child, you know how lonely that is, I want a huge family, I want our children to have each other as well as us, I want this house full." She had said and he had smiled, anything, she could have asked for anything and he'd give it to her.

It was staggering how much he loved her, she was his sunshine, his happiness, the light of his life.

Her death had almost killed him. Had it not been for Farron, he might have indeed died, he'd have wanted to. Farron though needed him, and while he had lost Ganier and Zen both, he owed his son the life his mother had dreamed of for him. So, he had kept the large estate, the one Ganier had loved, that his father had left to him. His mother had died when he was 8, his father when he was 17 and he'd lived to for his work until Ganier had come into his life. The beautiful grad student was enamored by him, he was famous as the youngest Ambassador Bosco had ever had and Ganier was working on her degree in Political sciences. Arman had easily swept her off her feet, been in love with her almost from the moment he met her. She was so beautiful, inside and out, with her curling long mahogany hair all streaked through with gold because she loved being outdoors and her eyes the color of the sky.

He'd asked to marry her right before she had told him she was pregnant, so in love with him shed had wanted his child and whether or not he wanted her as a wife she would keep a part of him, women in Bosco had that freedom and if men didn't want to sire children it was up to them to take the simple slip of a wafer that would assure that before they had sex.

But Arman had been in love with her by then, so deep and far gone he'd torn his family home apart seeking his mothers engagement ring for her. She'd been so happy, their wedding had been small, private, Altiene the King of Bosco himself had presided over it, seen them through their vows.

Now he strode into the market with their son, Ganier, help me find a soul who needs Farron and I as much as we need them….he prayed. Boscans believed in the light, that people never really faded from existence, their spirits lived forever, souls were immortal energy and the universe never wasted energy. They prayed to their lost loves, their ancestors as much as the Gods.

He went straight to the transport they had intercepted, Boscan soldiers bowing to him as he passed, Minda Fashen trailing after him, the beautiful woman was a general in the knights, she watched Arman closely, giving Farron small smiles as the boys wide blue eyes took in the horrors of a slave market. Soldiers and healers were helping people, breaking cages open, removing chains. Mages of White Sea had swarmed in with the military and their best healers were all here.

Grenlow was close at Armans side, determined to keep the Ambassador that was such a good friend safe, he'd insisted on being here for this raid, so Grenlow himself, Guildmaster of White Sea, would assure he stayed safe as he walked with his son through the place. Arman wanted Farron to see all of the world, to understand why his work for peace and equality was so important, and while Grenlow could say little, his own son was here, 15 and recently made a full mage of White Sea, he wasn't sure he'd have brought him when he was 6.

They walked onto the ship and Farron stopped, yanking Armans hand and pulling him to a steel box with small holes. "I hear you...oh Daddy...please get him out he's scared…" He'd said, touching the box and Armans eyes had widened, Grenlow had stepped forward and light had surged from his fingertips, cutting through the steel as soft whimpers came from it.

Farron threw the chunk aside yanking his hand from his father and hurrying forward, Arman dropped to his knees so he could see as his son reached inside. Huddled in the back of the box was a boy. Naked and bloodied in a way that made it clear he had already seen the worst of abuse. Armans heart wrenched in his chest as he watched his son coax the boy.

"It's ok, I'm Farron, I'm 6 years old...this is my Daddy and our friends Grenlow and Miss Minda, we came here to help..do you have a daddy?" He asked the little boy cried more "de...dead...killed…" He whimpered "Momma too.."

Arman pulled the manifest from the box and his eyes darkened in fury. This tiny boy had already been sold as a pleasure slave, given a rank of 10 for beauty a noble in Joya had bought him, he had the symbol on his manifest that indicated a royal buyer.

Though he was filthy now, when he emerged from the box to Farron his dark purple eyes, his flawless face, thick already shoulder length deep brown hair, he was indeed beautiful, stunning already, the manifest said he was 5, described him as assured to grow into a handsome man, his father listed as having been over 6 feet tall and handsome. The selling points were all there.

He removed his cloak and held it out, the little boys eyes on his now. "My Daddy…" Farron was saying "Daddy...you'll be his Daddy now won't you? You said we were going to find a sibling for me today...I want him...he needs us." Farron said firmly.

"I...they hurt me…" The boy whimpered. Arman held his arms out "Oh sweet child, nobody will ever hurt you again...I swear it…" He whispered and Farron had stepped to his father, pulling the boy with him into Armans embrace, he'd held both boys against him, wrapped the cloak around the boy.

Standing he nodded toward the manifest and Minda took it "I'll arrange everything Arman…" She said softly. He kissed Farrons temple and smiled at the wide purple eyes of the boy.

"What's your name?" Farron asked smiling reassuringly at the boy who was wiping tear tracks from his dirty face and staring at Arman.

"I miss my momma…" He whimpered.

"I miss mine too, she died...bad people killed her and my little brother." Farron told him and the boy looked at him then Arman again.

"He's a good Daddy, and I'll be a good big brother...we have a nice house by the sea, and Daddy bought ponies, do you like ponies?" Farron asked. The boy nodded, smiling faintly. "I'll teach you to ride them then." Arman whispered, unable to find his voice, transfixed by the beautiful little boy and feeling all through him this was his son, this was right.

"Ok...I don't want to be here anymore…" He said and Arman turned, Grenlow and Minda flanked him as her carried the two boys away. Tiny fingers undid the tie in his hair, sifted through his black locks quietly, when Minda had taken Farron the boy refused to leave Armans arms so he held him still wrapped in his cloak as he helped guide the operations of dismantling the market and seeing its victims to the transport ships ready to carry them to freedom.

"My Daddys hair was brown..Mommas was red...will you...will you really be my Daddy now?" He asked, Arman met sad purple eyes and smiled gently.

"If you'll let me I would like to be." He replied softly.

"I'd like to have Farron for a brother…" The boy said.

"He'll be a good big brother." Arman assured him. "Our family has been sad...Farrons momma, my wife and his brother...they died and we miss them...but if you came to us...if you were my son and Farrons brother...we would be happier and we could make you happy, be your family now since you lost yours." Arman said.

The boy nodded, tears sliding down his face again but he hugged Arman, sniffling in his hair.

"Please be my family…" He begged "I don't want to be alone, those people, they wanted to do bad things.".

Arman tightened his arms around the boy, held him and choked on his own tears "We are your family then, I'm your Daddy now and I always will be...what's your name my son?" He whispered hoarsely.

"Kaleb...:" The boy replied.