Endymion's laughter stopped and he dropped his hands as he curiously took a step in the direction of the song. He stumbled as the sand shifted under his feet. 

His arms flailed about wildly, as he fought to keep his balance on the unstable ground. Never before had he stood upon, let alone walked on, a surface that did not just stay in one place under his feet.

When he had managed to catch his balance, he laughed again. Already this trip had been more fun than he had dared to hope it would be.

Slowly, Endymion managed to make his way over the dune, and the girl he had seen dancing so freely the night before came into sight. Her voice was clear and high as it soared through the air, teasing his ears. As he took a step to start his way down the slope, the ground shifted again, rolling his ankle and sending him face first in a tumble down the slope, bringing a lot of sand tumbling down with him.

"Oh dear!" the fair voice exclaimed as something began brushing the sand away from his face. 

The world spun around him, but he could not stop from laughing. That earned him a stinging smack to the shoulder. "If you are well enough to laugh, you either addled your mind, or you are absolutely, positively fine."

The hit only made Endymion laugh harder as he joined the effort of getting the sand out of his eyes. Once enough was cleared, he blinked his shining silver eyes open, and offered her what he hoped was a charming smile. While this wasn't the best beginning he could have hoped for, the girl wasn't running and screaming yet. That was a positive. Now to try to actually talk to her.

"Could it not be both? But then, I have never tumbled down a mound of sand like that before in my life," Endymion managed to say through another bout of laughter. While his laughter had begun from surprise at having tumbled so unceremoniously downward, now it stemmed from a fluttering feeling deep in his gut. Perhaps this was what being nervous felt like. "I was just coming to see who could be singing like a nightingale. But it seems as though I have interrupted your song."

"At least your tongue seems to be more agile than your feet. And it's made of the same silver as your hair," she pointed out easily, gracefully shifting back from him to sit primly on the sand. Her green eyes were full of something he did not recognize now that she did not seem as worried about his wellbeing. "What are you doing out under the twilight in that direction? There is nothing that way for miles. Were you lost? I have never seen someone like you in town."

"That's because I'm not from your village, but neither am I lost. I have never been lost. Here on this land the Stars would guide me just as surely as I know each and every one of their names," Endymion returned smoothly. Why had he been nervous? Holding a conversation was easier than he had feared it would be. "I landed on the other side of that dune and had my feet carry me over its height only to fall at your feet, just as your beauty deserves."

Her eyebrows raised in obvious surprise at his words. "I am no special beauty to hear such words but thank you," she accepted with a small smile while the look in her eyes grew more expressive. "No one comes from that direction except pirates. You don't look like one of those, but you certainly might not have good intentions either. Forgive me if I don't swoon at your silver tongue."

Another bright laugh left Endymion while he pushed himself up until he was sitting so he could look at her more comfortably. "It feels like you are trying to push me away, and yet, each word makes me more fascinated," he confessed, his hair beginning to shine under the light of the moon. "I must ask, why were you dancing last night under the light of the moon? It was wonderful."

His words immediately resulted in the lady's cheeks turning bright red. Had he said something to embarrass her? Or had he given offense? He had not spoken to a lady before to be able to guess what was going through her mind.

"Now you are being too forward, especially for a stranger. There was no one watching me last night, and you have never seen me dance. There is no way!" From the fiery tone of her voice, it became clear that the unknown expression on her face was one of offense.

"But I did, just as the Stars do every night," Endymion said honestly, not understanding the source of the offense. All he had done was ask an honest question before offering her a compliment. He smiled charmingly, letting a bit more of his power shine forth from his hair and eyes. "And I found it even more lovely than the nights where the Maidens dance in my honor. Your dance inspired me to at long last leave my home in the sky. And you have not disappointed me in the slightest, even if I may have bungled our meeting by falling on my face at your feet."

Her eyes narrowed as she drew away from him, as though she were trying to put as much space between them as possible without actually running. "You speak as though...You speak as though you are some sort of divine being like a Star or something," she managed to say, voice shaking a bit. "Are you saying that you were not just using the word landed as a metaphor, but you actually landed on the beach on the other side of that dune? You are not human?"

For once, Endymion managed to hold back his laughter. "I am not human. I just thought I'd try being down on the surface for once. But you should not tell anyone that you you have met me. That will earn you so much attention, you might not ever get a moment alone ever again." He managed to look a bit chagrined as it occurred to him that he still had not told her just who he was. "Ah, pardon me, I am not used to meeting people that do not know who I am at least by my title. My name is Endymion, but most people know me simply as the Moon."

Her eyes widened, making her look completely astounded. She moved to sit on her knees, lowering her head toward the ground in a bow to show him the the honor he was due. "I-I had no idea! Please forgive me," she stammered keeping her eyes fixed upon the sand.

"Oh none of that," Endymion commanded firmly, shifting to touch her arm gently. "It was more exciting when you were telling me off for being too forward. I have people bow to me all day every day. I only wish you would be yourself. In fact, all I want to know is your name and why you were dancing so happily last night."

She slowly rose from the bow to show her brilliant green eyes, remaining seated on her knees before him. "My name is Lana," she answered softly after a moment, still seeming shocked at the revelation of who had tumbled onto the ground before her. "I was dancing just to dance. I love to do so. It always feels far more magical to dance under the light of the Moon. It's something I have done since I was little. Father has always called me his Moonchild."

"It is a fitting name for you, Lana," Endymion said warmly, moving his hand from her arm to her cheek, fingers gentle. "I will watch for you on high, and enjoy seeing your dance while I imagine hearing the beauty of your singing. Should you ever need me, I will listen to your prayers. But for now, I am afraid I must return to the sky to attend my nightly duties. I will shine brighter for you now that I know just how delightful you are. Do not let the world change you, Lana, for you are perfect as you are."

Before Lana had the chance to respond, Endymion carefully pushed himself to his feet with barely a fumble for balance. Now that he had fallen once, it seemed he had found his center of balance. He offered her a bright grin and a wink. "Thank you for saving me from my boredom. I am sure the Stars and world would thank you too if only they knew just how special you are," he complimented while lifting a hand.

Once more a wall of frost spread from Endymion's palm. When it was large enough to cover his body, he stepped through, right back into his observatory. A satisfied grin was on his face as he plopped himself into his heavily cushioned chair to begin to listen. The first thing to reach his ears was the light, airy voice of the girl he had just let, lifted to him in prayer.

"Endymion! Listen to my prayer, you ass!" Lana prayed loudly, almost yelling really. The crystal wall, still focused on the beach he had left so recently, showed Lana staring directly at the moon with astonishment clear on her face. "You can't just say something like that before leaving me kneeling on the beach! You give me so many compliments and then run? What sort of man are you? Are you a coward or something? I dare you to come back to see me! Or give me some sort of sign. Otherwise I won't believe a word of what you said even though you disappeared before my eyes! I'll tell everyone about the crazy man that lives on the Moon!"

Endymion could not hold back his laughter at her unorthodox prayer. He had never been called an ass in prayer before. In fact, he had never been called an ass by anyone other than his sister before. He was sure he probably shouldn't be amused by the description, but for the moment, he was.

On a whim, he cupped a hand before his mouth. After concentrating for a moment, he breathed out a bit of his power in the form of a glowing luna moth. Gently, he released the construct, sending it to fly through the crystal of his observatory wall to land upon Lana's shoulder.

A look of sheer astonishment crossed her face before she offered first the moth, then the moon a bright smile. "Oh alright. You were and are real. And if you liked my dancing so very much, then I'll dance for you every night I can manage," she called out to the sky, rising to her feet with a laugh. It took only a moment before she began to dance just as she had the night before. Endymion settled in to watch, enjoying the show just as much as he had the night before.