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"Hey Lir, they found someone new!" Lirris looked up from her portrait of Benaret to see a green dragon winging in to land in the weyrbowl. She gave her picture of Benaret one last, wistful look and then lept from her cot, Talmur following, to see who the new Candidate was.
The green was Blyzka's Phaysath, Lirris knew. Blyzka hopped down first, looking very pleased with herself. Phaysath looked a hundred times more pleased.
Lirris squinted to see who the lucky new Candidate was. He was a tall young man, and through the dust brought up from Phaysath's landing, she could see that he had dark hair. He looked almost, she noted sadly, like Benaret.
As she took a step closer, however, she saw that it was more than his hair that looked liked Benaret. Though is face was still obscured by the dust cloud, she could see that he looked almost identical to Benaret.
When the dust cleared, both Benaret and Lirris recognized eachother instantly. Lirris could only make a sound of mixed delight, suprise and held back sorrow as she ran towards Benaret. Without knowing quite how she got there, she was in Benaret's arms again. He was here, alive and real.
"I thought you were dead," Benaret murmurred after a moment, stroking her ever lightening blackish brown hair. "When I came back with the healer and you were..." he choked and just held her for a moment before going on. "I thought I had lost you."
"P'mir said the chestnut had collapsed," Lirris sighed, snuggling closer into his shirt, never wanting to let go. "And I knew it was yours. And I didn't know what happened to you."
Benaret tightened his embrace slightly, wishing they could just stand there forever, not ever having to let go ever again. "If this weren't so terrifying," Benaret managed, "it might have been funny."
Lirris looked up at him, tears that she hadn't allowed to flow for a long time now staining her face even though she smiled. "I don't think anything could have been more terrifying," Lirris sobbed. "I don't know why I'm crying. I am happier than I ever have been."
Benaret chuckled and wiped a tear from her face. "If I didn't want your friends to see a grown man cry, I would be too. Lir, I never thought I'd see you again..."
Lirris was about to reply when someone from the watching crowd, probably one of her fellow candidates who recognized Benaret from Lirris' portrait of him, called out. "Oh go on and kiss him already!"
Lirris grinned. "I think that's an excellent suggestion, don't you Benaret?" she didn't wait for him to reply. Wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down, Lirris gave him the kiss she'd never thought she would be able to.
A few cheers and whistles came from the watching weyrfolk, but neither Lirris nor Benaret took much notice.