<span style="font-size: 120%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="color: smoke">“I thank thee Lady Kate. I wish t come back and see this cave with you sometime.”<br/>Cedric listened to Kate talk of its history, and he was curious if Marcus was friends with Jon. Cedric did not wish to promise he would not challenge him in the tournaments, but he would definitely stand in challenge of Marcus. What if he and Jon are the finalists in the single combat event? He said,<br/>“My lady Kate, I will not challenge Jon directly, and I doubt I am good enough to make the final in single combat, but as he seems to always win, and I too am a finalist, we will have to face off.”<br/><br/>As they headed through the chilly garden toward the terrace stair to return to the ballroom, Cedric asked,<br/>“I will love spending the rest of the evening dancing with you, but surely others will wish to dance with you? You are the most beautiful! May I ask of your lady friends? Maybe I could help guide a couple of my junior officer comrades to a couple of them?”<br/><br/>As they were coming up the stairs, Jon was standing by the top, watching them approach.</span></span>