Pharos stood in the courtyard looking over her hard work. Over the last five month’s she had been working tirelessly on restoring her wonder and every opportunity she had to go to her wonder she would spend hours upon hours there. She grinned looking over the clean courtyard lush with greenery, some of the original trees had been restored, some dead ones replaced with fruit trees and a few grape vines had been planted around two pergolas Neckar had helped her build over a couple of benches. Along the back wall of the courtyard she had plots of vegetables and she could now stay for a few days if she wanted.

“Hey Hadrian,” she called out to her ancestor, watching him walk out of the knight quarters and even smile. She grinned bouncing on her toes just feeling very happy at what they had managed to accomplish.

“I'm so glad all the plants took, even the grapevines are thriving. I can’t wait to see the trees lush and full of fruit. It will be a while, but we will get there. I think the cherry tree will be the first.”

She paused looking over to Hadrian and gave him a confused look at his sad expression, “Are you okay?”

Hadrian nodded and shook his head, “I was just thinking about the past and how each knight makes their mark. This is yours Pharos. Going forward, the courtyard is yours. As we move forward you’ll see the mark of each knight of the lighthouse. Inside the displays of gifts and treasures left behind didn’t always line the walls. The logbook wasn’t always available. The courtyard, the mark of your background being raised on a farm, its where I'm sure your mark will remain.”

“Thank Hadrian, I’m honored and really really happy to be able to try to restore the lighthouse as best as we can.”

Hadrian nodded, “that friend of yours is good and loyal. You are lucky to have him. He’s been so helpful with the pergolas and the organization in the storage area. I was wrong about the little squire. I apologize for taking so long to invest in you.”

“I'm used to it honestly, but I am me and I just keep moving and growing.”

“That's a good way to be, but you shouldnt be used to it Pharos. People should be better, your spirit and optimism is a good thing.”

“Hadrian … do you think that the universe will ever be restored to what it once was? I think I’d want Pharos to one day be what it once was.”

“I would like to hope, but I'm not sure Pharos it will happen in your time or even the next. It seems like the universe so to speak is waking up slowly from what you tell me, but we will need far more people in order for everything to be restored. Right now you have to focus on this and the eventuality of training a replacement in the future maybe … though I'm not sure that’s how it works anymore.”

Pharos nodded and sighed, “one can hope, right? So what up are we going to work on today Hadrian? Back into the storage room. I know we still have things to sort through in put up there. We are only about 75 percent done.”

Hadrian shook his head, “no I think today is a day for a break. The restoration of Pharos is well underway. I think today you should enjoy yourself. Come sit down. Do you want to talk about when I was a knight here.”

Pharos nodded and went to take on a bench under the pergola. “What was your favorite thing about the wonder?”

Hadrian sat beside her and looked thoughtful, ‘I think it was hearing people saying they could see the lighthouse light for miles out in space. Knowing it helped guide people as they passed through. Because it spins it could be seen from all over. I liked listening to people's stories too.”

Pharos leaned back against the bench, closing her eyes and picturing it. Hadrian as Pharos, a courtyard full of travelers, maybe other Chronos knights.

“Did you ever have parties in the courtyard? It seems like a nice place to get together with the other Chronos knights?”

“Never a wedding no, but that would be interesting, but hanging out for sure. You should invite some of the other’s sometime. I bet they would be impressed and like to try the fruits of your labor. A small party at the lighthouse might be a nice change of pace. Make it feel more alive.”

“I will have to send them some messages and see if they are up for it. It has been a while since I have seen any of them.” She paused for a moment, “When did you become a knight Hadrian, were you 14 like me?”

“No, I was older. I trained on earth and then came to the surrounding area, but our family goes back generations here. I think you are technically my niece. I do not think I even had any children, though I can’t be too sure where the time before my knighthood was concerned.” Hadrian chuckled, smiling as Eliza laughed along with me.

“It's nice to hear about the past, about where I come from and how I can be Pharos. I have loved history and folklore for as long as I can remember, and fairytales. Hearing about the past makes me feel even more like I was born for this … it's my very own tale, to be told for generations. One day I’ll be able to tell my own little one, should I have one.”

“That's one way to think about it, it's certainly a more positive spin than being dragged into a war without your consent. “


“We make due, everyone has to find their own path, but we do and we have to try to help the ones that get lost along the way. Hopefully one day every can transcend and be protected from that. I never got to finish finding out about it though.”

Hadrian nodded, not fully knowing what she meant, but if it was protection from being lost to chaos he was all for it. “You have time, just be careful Pharos.”

WC: 1053