<span style="font-size: 120%; line-height: 116%;">In the days after the ball, Cedric managed to see Kate for walks for a short time. But they were kept busy and there never seemed enough time. As the festival and knighting ceremony approached, Cedric spent more time in his quarters, writing. He wrote letters to kate he knew he could never give her, as they expressed deep feelings he felt for her. He would dream of her every night and the vividness of them seemed so real. Maybe it was what she had given him, which he never removed, that had driven away the darkness of the war and kept her close tio him in his mind. But a time to be able to hold Kate in his arms and caress her soft skin and look into her beautiful eyes and feel her lips against his seemed always so far away...<br/><br/>When he had duties to attend to, he was almost relieved. As the day drew near, Cedric was given command of the main gate. He dressed in his service dress uniform and met the fair folk coming from all around the kingdom. His demeanour was high, for Kate was never far from his thoughts. When his relief came later that day, he walked back toward his quarters, wondering when he would again be able to spend time with his beloved.</span>