A council was immediately convened between Lothar and the royal court's top advisors, all of whom were well aware of the gravity of the situation. The death of the previous Guardian had been a shock to Stormwind, but the potential loss of the man who'd once been the choice to replace him – the one who'd not only recognized the Fel, but who might be their best chance to defeat it – would be a blow to all the kingdoms of Azeroth. The decision they reached was unanimous; no matter how dangerous a rescue attempt would be, they could not simply abandon Khadgar to his fate. Even if the young mage could resist being tortured for information, the orcs would eventually kill him whether he broke or not. Lothar knew these beasts would tire of their prize once they determined Khadgar wasn't going to talk…or once he'd already told them everything he knew, whether it be through physical pain or unnatural Fel magic.

It was decided, then. A scouting team, made up mostly of rogues who could practically vanish into the shadows, had been sent out to investigate the area around Karazhan; the main party would leave once they had some idea of where Khadgar had been taken.

And now that the plan had been formulated and the hour was late, the advisors slowly filed out, leaving only Queen Taria in the war room with Lothar.

"You're not doing Khadgar any favors by worrying yourself into a state of exhaustion, you know," she observed, gazing at her brother sympathetically. "Especially not before you even leave the city."

"What am I supposed to do?" he replied. He paced, agitated, finding it nearly impossible to stay still. "And before you suggest that I go to bed and get some rest, how can I sleep knowing what the orcs might be doing to him? You know what they're capable of."

"Anduin…I know how much you'd prefer to leave for Karazhan immediately and help find the trail yourself, but you need to let the trackers do their jobs." Her tone was patient, the same way he remembered their mother's had been. "They're better in the dark, and they'll make far less noise than a warrior stomping around in full plate armor."

Lothar snorted in frustration, but came to a stop in front of her. She was right, of course, but that didn't make him feel any better. "I just…hate waiting, that's all."

Taria nodded, and rested a hand on her brother's arm gently. "He's important to you."

He looked at her, not quite understanding why she'd be making such an obvious statement. "Of course he is, we've been through a lot together," he said. "The safety of Stormwind, the Alliance, maybe even our entire world, may depend on him."

Taria gazed up into his eyes. "I didn't say he's important to the kingdom, Anduin, although he most certainly is," she replied. That same patient tone was back. "I said he was important to you."

Lothar frowned. Well, of course Khadgar was important to him. They were friends, they had been for quite some time, although he never would have predicted this outcome at their initial meeting. When he'd first met the mage all those months before, he'd found Khadgar to be both odd and…what? Untrustworthy? No, he'd proven he wasn't a liar almost immediately. Alarmist? Perhaps, but with time his fears about the Fel had been shown to be true. Confusing? Confounding? Yes, that was a better word. Confounding. And earnest. And clever, and enthusiastic, and full of heart.

Khadgar had become a bright spot in Lothar's life, although he'd never put it into quite those terms until now. He'd lost so many people…his wife, so many years ago, and more recently his son, as well as his two oldest and dearest friends. But ever since Khadgar had arrived in Stormwind, he'd been right by Lothar's side.

Lothar didn't want to imagine what it might be like to not have him there anymore.

He was terrified of losing anyone else. He realized that now. Especially the man he'd come to regard as…well, as someone like Llane and Medivh, someone like a brother to him, someone who could raise his spirits the moment he entered the room. Whether it was a conversation about magic (which Lothar would never understand), or ideas on how to improve the city's defenses (which he did), or even just a gentle bout of teasing, simply being around the younger man was usually enough to improve whatever mood he might be in.

/He makes me feel alive again./

Lothar swallowed hard, pushing back the memories of his dead family, his dead friends, and the possibility of losing yet another person close to him. He needed to focus himself on the matter at hand – the implementation of their rescue plan, and what he was going to do to the orcs once he got his hands on them.

"I recognize that look," Taria said dourly. "It means you're determined to do something no matter how dangerous – or how foolish."

His jaw set. "This isn't foolish."

"I know. But working yourself up into a state of sheer recklessness is." She smiled slightly. "Now, normally I wouldn't suggest this, but I think you should go back to your quarters and have a drink or two. But be ready to leave in the morning, the trackers will have found something by then, I'm sure of it." She took one of his hands in her own, squeezing it as if she'd just had access to all his private thoughts and worries. "You won't lose him too, Anduin. You won't."