Answer:
Lend
Explanation: What's happening as often as needed? Lending
Don’t trust anyone even your shadow leaves you when it’s dark
C: <span>
The nobles had again sought to make themselves as powerful as possible.
In the passage, it explains that under Stephen the nobles had experienced a ton of power (the author uses the word exorbitant which shows how extremely privileged their lives were), but that Henry the Second then took a lot of their power away. Now, they are resuming their former positions (from under Stephen) to a point where they are becoming as powerful as possible.</span>