Chapter Text
The announcement of a new Guardian was cause for celebration, but Lothar was surprised to find that Khadgar was not in a celebratory mood. The mage was tucked away in the corner of the inn by himself, nursing a half full mug of ale. Lothar extracted himself from his jubilant comrades who barely noticed their commander leaving, too focused on their merrymaking. Making his away to the corner of the room, Lothar sat down beside Khadgar and placed his own mug on the table between them.
“Nervous?” Lothar asked, a hint of teasing in his tone. Khadgar didn’t even bother to look up, merely shaking his head slightly as he stared blankly at the wooden table in front of him.
“What’s the matter then?” Lothar pressed, slightly more concerned. Khadgar was usually so confident in spite of his young age, this quiet moodiness was new and Lothar didn’t like it.
“You don’t have to live in Karazhan if that’s what you’re worried about,” Lothar guessed. Khadgar simply nodded while continuing to stare at the table. Both of them already knew that Khadgar would be staying in Stormwind.
“I know this is big, but it’s something you’ll get used to,” Lothar tried. “Can you at least tell me what’s bothering you?” he continued when Khadgar failed to respond. Khadgar shook his head, shifting his eyes from the table to his mug of ale briefly before standing up.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, ok?” Khadgar finally spoke. Lothar nodded, watching as Khadgar retreated, presumably heading back to his quarters in the castle. With a sigh, Lothar returned to his own mug of ale and briefly thought about finishing off Khadgar’s as well. He’d only had one drink that night so another half mug wouldn’t hurt. Lothar drank it slowly, no intention of getting drunk that night as he had much to think about.
As Lothar made his way back to the castle, he debated with himself about whether or not to check in on Khadgar. The mage clearly wanted to be left alone, but Lothar was worried and Khadgar was young. He really needed to find out what was bothering his little bookworm, so after a moment of indecisiveness, turned on his heel and made his way to Khadgar’s quarters.