I’m just going to base fifty thousand fics off of Garona saying, “I can’t see how you humans survive such a thing,” while looking at Khadgar.
Lothar* (lol)/Khadgar | Teen/Mature? |
Khadgar is powerful, but he is not strong. Not in the way that Lothar is strong.
Not in the way that Garona is strong.
When Lothar grabs him, he is soft and pliant. When Lothar grips Khadgar’s hips, the body yields easily to his touch.
Khadgar does not fight him, does not want to fight him, could not fight him. He gives in and gives himself up without bluster or shame and Lothar could not do the same.
His power too lies in this, in acceptance and the pursuit of truth, of happiness. Concepts that Lothar finds foreign, and he doesn’t understand how it can be otherwise for someone with Khadgar’s background.
But flesh meets flesh easily.
Lothar’s hipbones press into the meat of Khadgar’s ass like they were made to fit together.
And maybe Khadgar knows something that Lothar doesn’t.
Very belated Liontrust Week fic! (This was supposed to be for last Saturday, which was DAY SIX: SOULMATES.)
I want to write another part to this, but uh. No one probably cares?
Anduin Lothar/Khadgar | ~1600 | G?
The mark of the Kirin Tor is almost as old as his soul mark.
Khadgar had gotten his soul mark soon before his parents had given him up, however--which was quite young. Generally soul marks didn’t appear until after the age of ten, if at all, but Khadgar had been only five.
Some theorized that marks appearing early coincided with an older soulmate.
After being sent away, Khadgar had assumed it wouldn’t matter for him anyway.
And then he left the Kirin Tor.
The mark of the Kirin Tor was all that mattered when Lothar laid a hand on him, forced him to attempt defense. Everything was so bright and hot in his panic to explain, to survive, adrenaline coursing through his body, that he had felt nothing else.
It is only later that he realizes he is still burning, the sensation emanating from his shoulder blade.
Given a moment of peace in his room, he idly reaches for it, runs his fingertips over it.
He had not thought of it in years--had not had reason to--but now it makes itself known.
Perhaps in Karazhan they had books about soul marks, but he does not have one with him. And he doubts very much that now is the time to ask such a favor from Medivh.
Medivh is the only one who seems to take him seriously so asking him to divert time and energy to something as comparatively unimportant as Khadgar’s potential soulmate is definitely beyond consideration. The Fel and portal through which the Orcs have come should be the only things on both their minds and Khadgar will do what little he can to combat them.
Then, Medivh burns all of his research.
Maybe he would’ve been better off investigating soul marks if this is how he is treated for trying to rid Azeroth of the Fel.
He takes the drawing from his robes and knows that he is needed. No matter what anyone else thinks.
Lothar, for all his distrust and anger, is true to the king and to Azeroth, and Khadgar knows in his heart that Lothar will do what is right.
He explains the situation and pulls out the paper and as he turns it, his fingers brush over Lothar’s and the thing on his back pulses.
It is then that Khadgar knows with certainty Lothar is his soulmate.
But.
But Lothar had been married.
But Garona has begun to make her interest known.
But he...he might be nothing to Lothar.
After all, Lothar had not reacted either time they had made contact and he should’ve if he had the same soul mark, shouldn’t he?
Maybe Khadgar was one of those that were cursed, to have a soul mark and a soulmate without the reciprocation of being someone’s soulmate. It happened sometimes.
Khadgar shunts the thought to the back of his mind while he explains the dark portal.
~
In their downtime--as if such a thing exists--he can’t help if the idea drifts back. He had thought the very idea of soul marks and soulmates a lost cause, but now he is fixated on what is clearly something he still cannot have.
“Why do you look at him like that?”
Khadgar blinks rapidly and shakes his head. “I’m sorry, what?”
“My dad,” Callan says, nodding in Lothar’s direction. He has taken a seat beside Khadgar and Khadgar is embarrassed at not having noticed earlier. “Why do you look at him like that?”
In lieu of answering, Khadgar notices something on Callan’s wrist and points to it. “What’s that?”
Callan glances down, then pulls his sleeve over it. “It’s my mark. My soul mark.” He clears his throat. “Dad always told me not to put too much stock into it though.”
Slowly, contemplatively, Khadgar nods. “Were he and your mother…?” he trails off, knowing that he is crossing the line of propriety to ask about Lothar’s dead wife.
Pursing his lips, Callan shakes his head. “No, but he loved her more than life itself. And I took her from him.” Khadgar glances at Callan, puzzled, and Callan continues. “She died in childbirth.”
“Oh.” Khadgar nods, stares at his own hands--anything to avoid the awkward conversation into which they have veered.
Callan clears his throat. “Do you have one? A mark, I mean.”
Suddenly flustered, Khadgar almost shakes his head no, but then, “Yeah. Um. I do.”
“And?”
“‘And’?” Khadgar echoes.
“Have you found your soulmate?” Callan asks with a grin, as if that should be obvious.
Khadgar opens his mouth to respond, but all that comes is a sound of indecision. “No. Yes. It doesn’t matter.”
Callan leans in to whisper conspiratorially. “Don’t tell my dad, but I’ve always thought it would be wonderful to find your soulmate. It’s like magic. But not the kind you do.” He searches for the words. “Like some great being has decreed a mystical destiny that you have to wait to find out about.” He smiles up at the ceiling and Khadgar can see the ideas swirling in his head. His gaze swivels back onto Khadgar. “You know who it is then? Your soulmate?”
Again, Khadgar hesitates. “Mmm-hmm.” He glances to Lothar again--the elder Lothar. “Lothar doesn’t believe in any of it? Does he, um-- Does he have a mark?”
It takes a moment for Callan to consider the question. “I think so,” he admits finally. “I think I saw it on him once, but he doesn’t exactly flaunt it. I’m fairly certain that he thinks finding his soulmate now would be an insult to my mother’s memory.”
So maybe Khadgar is doomed for a different reason. Maybe he is Lothar’s soulmate.
Apparently Lothar just doesn’t want a soulmate.
~
Callan dies in the battle, but Khadgar is taking Medivh to Karazhan, is seeking out the Kirin Tor, is speaking to Alodi.
He doesn’t see Lothar until he’s breaking him out of jail, Lothar’s armor in tow.
“Azeroth needs you,” he says and he’s whisking them away back to Karazhan.
It is too late for Medivh. He can see that now.
Khadgar is uncertain they can win--and, whether or not they win here, whether it will make any difference at this point--but he puts his all into the fight with Medivh and his golem.
He has a scant moment to revel in the elation of their victory, revel in the elation of Lothar’s touch and sweet speech, before Lothar is running for his gryphon to swoop into battle.
It’s burning again, the mark, and then Medivh is speaking, is-- is trying to save everyone and Khadgar’s realizes Medivh was an amazing Guardian, was a good man, had he not been touched by corruption.
Medivh’s face has lost color, his eyes have lost their radiance. He is reaching out now, in his way. “It’s the loneliness,” he tells Khadgar and Khadgar is overwhelmed by how unfair this is.
He knows too well the burden of loneliness, and yet it only grows ever larger in his heart.
~
Lothar shows him Garona’s dagger, explains where it had been found and Khadgar is dumbstruck. He doesn’t accept that Garona had turned against them, against King Llane when he had shown her trust and kindness.
“There has to be an explanation.”
“There is. She made her choice.” Lothar snarls and Khadgar doesn’t know what to tell him. Then, Lothar is speaking again. “She came to me, after Callan. I told her I didn’t blame her.” He shakes his head. “Maybe I should have.”
“She came to you?”
Lothar swipes a hand beneath his nose, inhales. “Perhaps she thought I made a suitable mate.”
Khadgar’s heart sinks. It isn’t as if Garona’s intentions had not been obvious, but he has been shamefully enamored with Lothar. He can blame the mark all he wants. It will not do away with his choice to fixate on his ill-matched soulmate.
“I did not lie with her,” Lothar continues, breaking Khadgar from the churning jealous misery roiling in his gut.
“Oh.” Khadgar isn’t sure why Lothar is telling him this. Unless it has to do with the fact that Garona boldly accused Khadgar of wanting her. Interest and desire, however, are completely separate things.
Lothar is staring at the wall. “I loved my wife. I hated my son for taking her from me. I thought I would live the rest of my life alone after that.”
“Do you love her?” Khadgar asks gently.
Lothar turns to him, brows furrowed in confusion. “Who?”
“Garona,” Khadgar replies.
Lothar looks as if he’s at a loss for a moment. “You misunderstand.” He stops, sucks in a breath. “Do you know what a soul mark is?”
Khadgar’s entire body threatens to give way beneath him. “Yes.” It comes out choked and he clears his throat. “Yeah.”
Lothar looks him up and down. “My son told you, didn’t he?”
Khadgar swallows, his hand goes to his desk behind him for support, and he tries his best to sound calm. “He told me that your wife wasn’t your soulmate. And that you didn’t really believe in that sort of thing.”
Nodding Lothar’s fingers trail idly along the wall as he takes a step in. “I didn’t want him getting his heart broken if his soulmate never came along.” He shrugs. “I never thought mine would.”
“Oh?” Khadgar does not want to say more, does not know how this conversation will end.
“Yeah,” Lothar says finally, and he makes his way to the door. When he speaks, a certain amount of amusement seeps through. “I never thought it would be a spellchucker.” A pause. “Much less a kid.”
With that, he’s gone and Khadgar is left sputtering after him.
