She paced on the balcony in the dark before the morning, her white coat a bluish gray. She was watching the moon descend beyond the distant hills, with those four stars that had been growing closer and closer to it as the centuries passed. That face impressed on the surface… She was the only one still alive who remembered what the moon looked like before, and could read the pain embedded in that cratered eye.

One day her sister would return from the moon, return to her. It was all so far in the future, and yet she had so little time to try to alter the outcome of that eventual reunion, to keep it all from ending in violence as it had in the past. And there was so much still to accomplish.

One of the possible pieces should have been here by now. She kept staring off at the horizon. It was not yet time to raise the sun, but she found it hard to focus on her duty to the world until… There, that dark speck in the sky, that was surely her messenger at long last. She rustled and refolded her wings and continued to pace as the remote flier closed in.

He circled the tower once as he approached, then chose a precise angle and made his landing, collapsing to his knees before her in a display of exhaustion more than obeisance. The crate on his back creaked as something inside it flared with a magical surge; it was strapped to him with canvas bands that had been overtied with ropes, then topped with chains and padlocks.

“Whew,” he said, panting over the gray flagstones. “This one gave me a lot of trouble, your highness. First the dragons tried to get it back, and I had to fly low to escape their notice. And after that it didn’t want to stay strapped to me. I had to stop and reinforce it, and I suppose I went a bit overboard, but better safe than sorry, I felt.” He set down the crate, correct side up, and began to unlock and untie himself.

She smiled down at him. “I’ve noticed that, my courier. I have never known you to be on time, but if something has to be done eventually, come what may, I may safely assign it to you. You have a knack for making it through somehow that has not yet failed you.”

“I thank you, your highness. I daresay it runs in the family. We’ve been couriers as far back as I can remember… Slow and steady wins the race, said my great grandsire to me. I hope we can continue to be of service to you.” He freed himself from his bonds and stood up, resettling his wings, lithe and light-gray with bright golden eyes like a glorious sunrise.

She swiftly opened the crate, inspected the healthy purple egg inside, and beamed with a smile that heralded the imminent dawn. “I am sure that you and your family shall continue to accomplish wonders. You have performed a great service today, one that will resonate from now into time and restore hope to the future.

“With all my heart, I thank you, Over Do.”