Phantoms on the Moon

The figure steped into the light and Albert\'s heart fell into his heels. It wasn\'t him...
\"Here, it\'s not kind to drop an unconcious man. He may stay that way.\"
The man bent down and lifted the soldier up, and Albert took the soldier from him.
Albert sighed quietly and looked at the man again.
He was decently tall, head and shoulders above Albert. His hair was dark brown and fell to his mid-back, and it was tangled, as if it had only been combed with fingers. His eyes were a depthless brown so dark it almost appeared black. His face was composed of bold lines; he had a strong chin, an aristocratic nose, and high cheekbones. His face was bare of any mustache or beard, though his hair was so long. His body was lithe, and he moved with a grace that made Albert envious. There was also an echo of a regal bearing, and it made Albert itch with recognition.
\"I feel like I\'ve met you before,\"Albert said. The man looked vaugely surprised.
\"Really? I feel the same way as well.\"
The two men looked at each other, and Albert smiled faintly.
\"Well, why don\'t we drop this guy off and we\'ll then try to figure out how we know each other.\"
The two walked next to each other to the hostel, a semi-awkward silence falling between them whenever they ran out of small-talk. Albert left the drunk in the care of other soldiers and left again, rejoining the man outside the hostel. They walked a ways away until they could see the Carnival again.
\"I forgot toask your name,\" albert said, looking at the bright lights and happy faces.
A chagrined silence fell before the man haltingly answered, \"I don\'t know. I don\'t remember my name.\"
Albert turned and looked at him,mildly confused. \"You don\'t remember?\" he repeated.
The man shook his head. \"I remember very little.\" The man sighed and looked out at the street. \"I woke up here with my body aching all over, no money, and no memory. That was just two days ago. This festival started, so I began meandering my way towards the center of the city. Then I ran into you.\" The man trailed off and looked at Albert, who appeared thoughtful.
\"I can\'t just call you \'you\'. You ought to have a name.\"
Albert looked over at him and caught his eye, and almost against his will, he said,
\"Why don\'t you take Dantes as a last name?\"
\"Dantes?\" the man asked, and for a moment his eyes changed, a flash of color so brief within their brown depths that Albert wasn\'t even sure he saw it.
\"Dantes sounds right...but I can\'t go around with just a last name. I need a first name as well.\"
\"You choose it, since I gave you the idea for the last name.\"
Dantes paused for a moment and fell deep within thought, and Albert was content to wait. It seemed to be all he did anyway. Hurry up and wait.
\"Samuel.\"
\"Pardon?\"
\"Samuel Dantes. Doesn\'t sound too awkward,does it?\"
Albert, slightly crestfallen without knowing why, shook his head. \"It sounds fine. As long as you\'re happy with it.\"
\"I am. Now you tell me your name.\"
Albert hesitated for a long moment and was about to tellhim when a shout from the crowd made him turn.
\"Oh no...\"he breathed.