The tumble to the surface uncontrolled by any magic was fiery, ending with a jarring crash upon the surface. With the sleeping spell entwined with the binding, Endymion slept through the trauma, unaware of his pain and the world's panic for a time.

As the stars were beginning to fade into the light of the sunrise the next morning, Endymion finally stirred. His body ached in ways he had never imagined. A broken moan left his lips as he rolled over, eyes slitting open to find the sun shining down on him. 

His breath escaped as he tried to roll onto his side, confusion rushing through him when he saw that he seemed to be laying in a crater of glass. It almost looked like the crystal that made up the wall of his observatory.

What had happened? The last thing he remembered was sending a moth to speak to Lana.

"Hey down there!" a voice called out from somewhere above him, and Endymion's head snapped up, looking for whoever was speaking. They may have been the one that had brought him down to the ground. 

He kept searching frantically as the voice sounded again. "Yeah, you! You okay down there? Are you going to die?"

"Dying is not on my list of things to do," Endymion croaked as he finally managed to roll onto his side, still not seeing who was speaking to him. 

His ribs screamed at the motion, and he wrapped an arm tightly around them, moaning as more pain shot through him. He closed his eyes against the sensation, wishing it would all just stop. "Though honestly it does feel like I will. Does being on the surface always end with pain?"

A bright laugh sounded from above him, and for a moment, he though maybe it was one of Helia's servants coming to taunt him before taking word of his sorry state back to her. But then he heard the sounds of someone making their down the side of the crater to join him.

"You talk strangely, Angel, but I can't leave you in pain. Honor happens to be my burden. Perhaps you would be willing to come with me back to my ship? We could look after you. Then you could tell us why you were laying in a large crater after falling from the sky in a spectacular display of fire?"

Slowly, Endymion opened his eyes when he had a bit of control over himself. Hovering above him was a tanned face with befreckled cheeks and dancing blue eyes topped with flaming red hair. 

There was something about him that seemed familiar, but he had seen so many faces through his viewing wall that the features were impossible to place. 

"If you can take away the pain, I will tell you anything you want to hear. I can't promise you'll believe anything that I say, but I'll talk."

"I think you'll find that I love a good tale, no matter how unbelievable it is," the stranger admitted while laughing. 

He reached out to touch Endymion's face, moving it slightly to get a close look at the odd, silvery eyes. "But it looks like that story is going to have to wait. 

"I'd feel better if my mate takes a look at you since she has some skill with healing. It seems like you knocked your head pretty hard, but I'm no healer. Do you think you could walk out of here with some help? Or shall I treat you like a damsel in distress?"

"I am not a damsel, but the distress is real," Endymion admitted with a small laugh causing a new stab of pain to run through his side. He pressed his hand closer against his side as he attempted to rise. The world spun around him at once, almost sending him back into unconsciousness. 

He had never felt so weak. 

"Not to sound melodramatic, but I don't think I can stand let alone try to climb out of this hole by myself, kind stranger."

The red haired man seemed to find the that epithet amusing enough that he laughed again. 

"Well then, Angel, I will carry you from this crater and sweep you away to the white stallion that is my ship. We can sail off into the sunset like the love stories damsels seem to enjoy," he crowed as he scooped Endymion up into his arms without waiting for response. He seemed not to hear the groan of pain that left Endymion at the motion, choosing instead to continue babbling. 

"You know, this whole situation reminds me of an exchange that I overheard in a tavern. This sailor, obviously drunk, I don't know how many pints he'd had but he was pretty drunk for the time of day it was. Anyway, he put his arms around the serving girl's waist and as serious as could be asked, 'Did it hurt?' 

"Of course, none of us understood what the guy meant by the question. The girl looked about ready to give him a good slap, but before she could get in the blow, he spoke again. He said, 'It must have hurt to fall all the way from the heavens. That is the only way you could be so beautiful, Angel.' I was amazed when that line earned him an amorous kiss instead of a slap. 

"He might have gotten more, but by the time her shift was over, the sailor was too drunk to walk let alone anything else."

While the stranger spoke, Endymion fought against the nausea that was rising within him. Between the movement and the unevenness of the steps that accompanied the climbing, shocks of pain were being sent through his whole body. 

It was as though he truly had been cast down, rather than some sort of peaceful landing. 

"Are you trying to say you think I am pretty?" he managed to ask, voice tight as he fought to stay conscious.

"I wouldn't say that you are pretty like a girl, Angel, but there is definitely something wonderfully beautiful about you. Don't let that scare you off, I really am harmless. You'll find that I really am quite an honorable person," the stranger said, continuing to pick his way up the side of the crater. 

A grin found its way to his face which left Endymion wondering: Could it be that he was talking to distract the man in his arms from the pain of his injuries? 

"But if you are interested, I think we could have fun together."

"I will have to get back to you about that when I can see straight. I don't think you actually have the two noses I see dancing about in front of my face," Endymion whispered, eyelids fluttering as he drifted closer to unconsciousness. 

The stranger laughed softly, managing to get them up over the lip of the crater, only struggling a bit. He smiled gently before brushing a kiss to Endymion's long, silvery hair. 

"You can close your eyes if you'd like. I will make sure you get to the ship without anything bad happening. You are under the protection of the fiercest pirate to sail all the seas."

"That does not make me feel better, but you have shown me nothing but kindness," Endymion murmured, head lolling to rest against the pirate's shoulder. "When I wake, you should tell me your name. Then I will tell you mine and you will have a story like none you have ever heard."

"I will hold you to that, Angel," the man offered as he slid them down the side of the sand dune surrounding the impact crater. 

Perhaps in time this would be remembered as the spot the Moon landed when he fell from the heavens. 

"But first rest. You don't seem to be too hurt from your tumble to the sand. Nap on the way to the ship might be best so I keep my grip on you. I wouldn't want to drop you if you start wriggling too much."

By the time the pirate had finished his statement, Endymion had slipped into the darkness of unconsciousness once more.