#they're basically

That does not mean he immediately took a liking to Gaius, though. I think at first he still hated him and would have liked to see him die, but he kept his feelings in check for the sake of their men and the future of the country.

As they worked together, though, he got to know him better, see how he was as a person rather than the menacing figure that haunted him the past two years. He saw his qualities, flaws and quirks that made him human, discovered how much they had in common, saw how Gaius valued his abilities when no one else did.

Over time, he came to respect him, then they slowly developed a tentative friendship, and before they knew it they were spending more and more time together, not just discussing battle plans but also all sorts of topics, and enjoying each other’s presence.

He also found Gaius really attractive, which was hard from him to admit at first, because the mere thought of fantasizing about him felt like a betrayal of his family. He would often imagine what his father would say if he were still alive. But as their bond deepened, he eventually came to accept his own feelings. He sadly thought he didn’t have a chance, tho.

On Gaius‘ side, he was pleasantly surprised when Lin took over the Long Dau and turned out to be different from his family. He probably expected an easy victory once the last uncle died, but suddenly his opponent was using clever tactics rather than rely on brute force and actually made progress difficult. He was thrilled to finally have a strong opponent to face, and probably happy to see another leader value his men. So even as enemies, he had respect for him.

And then during the Mon Highlands confrontation, Lin actually listened to him and even went a step further by surrendering, proving once and for all that he was nothing like unworthy rulers like his father. That outcome was like a dream: not only did he finally win against the Long Dau with less casualties than expected, he also got himself a skilled tactician as a bonus. And, of course, it must have been relieving to be listened to, for once. By a current enemy, nonetheless.

So Gaius felt pretty positively about Lin from the start, even if he knew Lin hated him. He did not regret killing Lars, of course, as that was necessary to start his conquest, but he probably wished they had met each other in better circumstances. He kept things strictly professional at first and did not try to push for a relationship, but gladly took every opportunity to get closer when Wingul offered them. And then they became friends.