The journey to the scouts' camp felt much longer than it actually was, but it had the benefit of giving Lothar time to process his last conversation with Taria. So, while the troops he'd hand-selected for the mission talked amongst themselves companionably, their commander remained silent. He was content to let them think his thoughts had turned inward simply because he was worried for his friend and comrade. Which wasn't a lie, of course, it just wasn't the entire truth. In his heart, he knew there was more.

And it was Taria who'd set him on the right path.

The queen of Stormwind had come to see the entire party off, but once she was alone with her brother she'd given him a quick kiss on the cheek, and assured him again that if anyone could save Khadgar, it was him.

"You will bring your mage back home," she'd stated confidently.

"My mage?" he'd asked, a slight smile forming despite his worry. "Since when has Khadgar been 'my' mage?"

"For a very long time now. Haven't you noticed?"

The smile faded, and he gazed at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Anduin…these past few months, even with all that's been going on, you've seemed…happy. Happier than you've been in a long time," she said. "And I know it's not because of your new duties as regent, and certainly not because you have a new enemy to fight. It's because of Khadgar."

He shrugged. "Well, the little bookworm did grow on me after a while," he confessed. "How could he not? He helped save the kingdom, after all. But I hope you don't think I see him as a replacement for Llane or Medivh," he added hastily. "He's my friend, on his own merits, just as he would be if they were still here."

"I know that, Anduin. Just as I know I haven't seen you this content since…well, since you were with Cally, before Callan was born." She paused. "I know it seems like you'd given up on that part of your life long ago, but sometimes this kind of thing sneaks up on us, before we even realize what it is."

Lothar stared at her, unable to hide his surprise. "Are you saying I feel the same way about Khadgar as I did about my wife?" he sputtered.

"Only you can determine that," she countered, with a small smile of her own. "But given that it was the first thing that came to your mind, you may want to consider it."

Lothar's brow creased. "Even if that were the case," he began slowly, "even if I did have those…feelings…for him, I doubt he'd feel the same for me." He crossed his arms. "We're both men, Taria, plus I'm nearly twice his age."

"Still, you shouldn't discount the idea," she replied evenly. "Haven't you ever seen the way he looks at you?"

Lothar hadn't really known how to respond, so he'd left it at that. But now that the seed had been planted in his mind, it wouldn't go away.

He'd never had those kinds of feelings for another man before. Oh, in his younger days there had been brief liaisons in the barracks (before he was married, he'd never been one to cheat), just to blow off steam, but he'd never seen them as anything other than stress relief. There had been no physical attraction, and none of the incidents had been very involved – they were usually just handjobs or the occasional blowjob – but he certainly wasn't repulsed by the idea of intimacy with another man.

Khadgar probably wasn't like that, though. He didn't have the same upbringing Lothar had, never spent far too much time cooped up with male bunkmates with too little to do. Khadgar had led a sheltered life under the Kirin Tor, and Lothar wondered if the young man had ever even been in a relationship before, let alone had sex.

The thought that Lothar might get to be Khadgar's first sent a wave of arousal through him, and at that moment he knew he was lost.

He snorted, both amused and annoyed at his own lack of self-awareness. Taria had always known him better than he knew himself – which wasn't fair, especially when it came to his personal life. But he wasn't going to deny what he now knew was there. Now that he was forced to confront his true motivations, he had to acknowledge the affection he felt for the younger man had moved beyond simple friendship.

Lothar rubbed his forehead. This probably wasn't the best time to realize he'd fallen in love with Khadgar. Or that no matter what Taria said, he had no idea how Khadgar might respond if he found out. Better to keep his mind on the rescue for now, he told himself, and not worry about whatever might happen in the future until Khadgar was finally safe.

Lothar was grateful for the opportunity he'd had to think on this, before they reached the camp. It had made him even more determined to free the mage.

His mage.

Dismounting, Lothar wasted no time with small talk or pleasantries. He strode up to the section of the clearing where the orc prisoner was being held; it appeared he'd arrived in the middle of an interrogation session, but the men doing the questioning stepped back to allow him access, or to take it over if he so chose.

"You!" the orc cried, leaping to her feet. She was chained to a tree, however, so she didn't get very far, especially as she was also surrounded by guards. "You're finally here! I was getting bored waiting. Your soldiers are boring."

Lothar could see what they meant about the orc not being in her right mind. He planted himself squarely in front of her. "So," he began, getting straight to the point. "Why all the trouble just to capture one man?" he asked. "The spiders, the ambush…the murders."

The prisoner leaned forward. "Gul'dan wanted him." Then she burst into cackling laughter. "He's going to kill you."

"That's not much of a plan," he stated flatly, unimpressed. "Using Khadgar as bait to lure me out so Gul'dan can kill me."

The orc shook her head. "Oh no, Gul'dan isn't going to be the one who kills you," she replied, her grin even wider than before. "Khadgar is."

With that, she grasped one of the trinkets hanging from her neck, crushing it in her fist. There was a bright flash of light, and the last thing Lothar saw before the teleportation spell took him was the look of shock on his soldiers' faces.