The cabin was silent as soon as Ren was left alone with Angel, lit by the golden sun and the steady silver glow from the bed. He took a seat on the side of the bed, thoughtfully reaching out to brush some hair from the now clammy forehead. 

"Now we are alone again," he said easily, speaking to fill the silence. He only hoped Angel could hear him and the words would bring him back to consciousness. 

"Sorry Pearl panicked like that. It's just you started glowing, startling us. Anything startling like that makes her go off to pray to the Moon. Says the Man in the Moon is more caring than the sun and should be thanked for guiding us through the endless night that makes our lives. 

"I think she just doesn't like how hot it gets when we are working under the sun. She does go to all the Moon Festivals when we are on shore. Her favorite is during midsummer. If we miss it, I don't hear the end of her complaints until the next season. It is terrible."

Angel's breathing became uneven as he stirred, moving more easily than he had in the crater. He seemed to be trying to hide his face from the sunlight shining through the window. 

Ren took that as an opportunity to slide closer on the bed in order to close the curtains a bit to shield the pale face from the bright light. 

"If you met Helia, you'd see it is just her rays that are hot," Angel said weakly, voice soft as he opened his eyes slightly, struggling to keep them open at all.

Surprised, Ren turned his full attention to the stranger on the bed. The glow faded and the fast healing of the bruises visibly stopped. He narrowed his eyes at the sight and crossed his legs. He kept his gaze focused on the man as he was filled with a mix of suspicion and curiosity. 

"I don't know who this Helia is, but something tells me that is just one part of the multitude of knowledge you have already promised me. 

"Are you strong enough to tell me any of your story yet? Your ribs look like you might be healing faster I suspected you would. Perhaps if I started the sharing? You can call me Shadowfoot."

Angel's eyes narrowed, the same suspicion Ren felt reflected in their silver depths. "That is not your name," he observed before closing his eyes. 

"Why do you think I will trust you with the truth if you are not going to return the favor? I can see the honor and curiosity in your eyes. I want to know more. But after the way my day has been going, I don't want to confess anything to anyone that is not honest as well."

Ren smirked as he stretched his legs out in front of him once more, and relaxed a bit. "You are the first one to call me out so bluntly for a long time," he laughed. "Can I ask what gave it away?"

"Your name first. Your real name. Then I will tell you everything," Angel said, fighting to stay awake. It seemed that while his body had been focused on healing his ribs, he was still suffering from the effects of striking his head so firmly.

"My mother named me Ren," he answered simply, amusement bubbling through him. The mystery of the man before him grew more alluring with every moment. It was as though he was being given a Festival present and then forced to wait before seeing what lay inside. 

"But very few people call me that anymore. The stories that follow me, and the people who listen to them know me as Shadowfoot."

"Thank you for your candor," Angel said with a small smile, relaxing the smallest amount at the sound of the truth. 

It was only at that moment Ren realized just how tense the young man had become when he had woken. "I know the names of those that have prayed to the Moon, I just am not as familiar with faces."

"That is quite a talent," Ren offered, a hint of sarcasm clear in his voice. "Is your name actually Angel then? Because I am tempted to just keep calling you that. Especially if you are going to continue revealing your name."

"No! I mean...I was just agreeing that you had given me your name instead of some other title like Shadowfoot," Endymion replied, a bit flustered. 

He lifted a single hand to cover his eyes for a moment. There was such a pressure within his skull. How did humans ever accomplish anything if they spent all their lives in such pain? 

"My mind seems a bit muddled. It is hard for me to think straight at the moment. But I do know my name is Endymion."

Ren looked at him, no recognition appearing in his eyes at the sound of the name. A beat of time passed filled with nothing but silence. 

Did no one on the surface but the priestesses know he even had a name besides 'Moon'?

"Alright," Ren said at long last, nodding his acceptance of the knowledge. 

"I'm going to keep calling you Angel. It seems to fit you better. And it is easier to say. Why did you fall from the sky last night? Did your star burn out? If it did you were a small one. I didn't see any of the lights missing while we were sailing. For a moment, when the fire stretched across the sky, it was almost as bright as the full moon. But that can't be. It was the night of the new moon so we shouldn't have seen any moonlight."

At that observation, Endymion grew tense once more, any warmth he felt toward the pirate cooling immediately. He rolled to face the wall to avoid further eye contact. 

His memories of the day and night before were muddled. How much of what he remembered was true? How much was a dream? 

He knew Polaris had been with him for a time. But his best friend couldn't have been the one to cast him down to the surface. He could not have done it. Endymion would never believe anyone that even suggested the North Star had done such a thing. 

He let out a deep breath and for a moment, confusion filled him. Why could he breath so deeply without the stabbing pain he had felt on the beach? Instead of answering the question, he closed his eyes. 

"I'm tired and my brain is addled. Being awake while the sun is in the sky of this day of the month is something that does not happen," he murmured in a childish manner. More rest was all that it would take to help him clear his mind.

"Right. There you go avoiding the question and talking strangely again. But I know as well as the next man how a knock on the head makes you irritable and sleepy. I'll head out on deck to do some work and be back later to check on you," Ren said with a small smile as he slid from the bed, stretching luxuriously. Without warning, a wide yawn found its way past his lips. 

"Maybe I'll come to take a nap with you. Since you are in my bed, we would just have to share."

"I have never shared a bed," Endymion said blandly, the coldness in his voice beginning to warm. 

He fell silent for a moment before speaking again, his words uncertain. "I have but one more request, though I acknowledge it is a difficult one to fulfill. I do not even know where to ask you to take me or where precisely I am now. Looking at things from the surface is confusing. Besides you, I have only met one person on the surface. Her name is Lana. 

"She is the one you should call Angel, a real beauty that dances like a leaf in the breeze and sings like a nightingale. Perhaps you could help me find her?"

"Lana..." Ren said slowly, tapping a finger on his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know if it's the same girl, but I have met someone who goes by that name. She dances for the Festivals on the island where we are headed. Pearl will have us there before the Festival."

Hope returned to Endymion at the mention of both the girl and the Festival. Surely this meant he would be home soon. 

"Thank you. I know a simple name is not the best way to find a single girl in the world. There are thousands and thousands of places she could be. I was lucky to see her in the first place. If you can get me close to the shore where she dances beneath the Stars, I would know if it was the right spot."

"I can't sail right up to the beach as the water becomes too shallow for the Wing Rider's keel. We will have to anchor in the bay, take a longboat to the docks, and go on foot from there," he explained with the ease of someone that had given the same information to others often. 

"That is something we will face many days from now. You rest, Angel. Soon you will find that I have crawled in the bed with you. Naps with another person to cuddle are the best experience. You can't sail on my ship and sleep in my bed, and expect to escape cuddles." 

By the time Ren had finished speaking, Endymion had already fallen back to sleep. The soft silver glow of his healing already filling the air.