I awoke excited, for today was the day, the day I'd been waiting for, the day I'd spent years preparing. My clothes were laid out the day before, my whole schedule cleared, ready for the one thing I had to do today. After dressing I nearly skipped down the stairs, seeming to float, like I soon would fly, as I descended.

“You seem in a good mood this morning sir,” the maid bringing me my breakfast observed, seeing the stupid smile plastered across my face.

“The best, today is the day!” I agreed.

“I'm glad to hear it, will there be anything else?” she asked, quickly leaving as I indicated I was well.

The staff were always at arm's reach, close to us, but far. It was something I'd dealt with for years and it still bothered me from time to time, but what was there to do about it? They had to maintain a professional distance, even if we were friends, almost, and in my case sometimes, family. People who I'd known since I first entered this world, who'd been there for my first steps, my first meals, all of the milestones of life treated me as if we existed across a vast gulf. It was kind of sad.

Breakfast on the other hand was anything but. The first meal of the day often served as one of the most important for this world, and while dinners and the like often held the spotlight breakfast was still king. It was also the time of lovers, as many would meet to share their first meal, and the traditional time for dates. Some old notion about it being the right time to impress your loved one and make them think about you all day long. That notion was changing a bit here and there, but many still held to it, arranging a breakfast was a serious affair, and sometimes an actual sign of an affair.

It was for that reason that the spread was so impressive, meats, fruits, nothing too heavy, nothing too complex to make, but all sorts of small dishes. I liked bread personally, and had never found a proper way to make biscuits and gravy in this world, something on the to do list, but this was little here. A few slices of it were to the side, which I loaded up with berries and a bit of honey before moving on to fish. Seafood was a staple in Exion, and probably every island city, but getting it light enough to not weigh you down for the day was a skill mastered here, some kind of citrus on lightly baked meat was just perfect for starting the day.

As soon as I could I gathered up my hat and cane and went for the front door, jumping the steps and landing at the bottom with a small push of my left foot. The carriage was only feet away and the driver look at me after the feat, while basically anyone with a physical enhancement type magic could have leapt the seven or eight feet I had that didn't mean they did normally. Wanton displays of power like that were a bit garish to a lot of sensibilities, and mostly reserved for children or those entirely too worked up.

“Lord Percival?” he asked, looking at me, and he wasn't the only one as a few people from the nearby street also stared.

“A fine day isn't it?”

“Yes sir,” he answered awkwardly.

“You know our destination?”

“Indeed Lord Percival, please leave it to me.”

Doing just that I sat behind him, letting the wheels clatter without any more input from myself. Grandpa had said it was all ready, all prepared for the moment of truth, all I needed to do was show up. We'd both put so much into this, money, time, expertise, all for the first flight of our creation. There was no way for me not to practically bounce in the carriage, well more than carriages normally bounced.

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Sadly I wouldn't be claiming first flight for this world, since there were quite a few mages who'd flown before me. Nor would I be claiming first powered flight, as the elves would dispute that, claiming they had had it long ago, not that they still did. Regardless, I would still be making the first plane, to my knowledge, not some balloon.

As we pulled into the large field that would be our first testing ground I didn't even let the driver stop before leaping from my cushioned prison. I could already see grandpa there, by our project, talking to some man in a big leather jacket.

“It's magnificent!” I enthused as I ran up to them like an arrow loosed from a bow.

“Slow down boy, it's not going anywhere,” grandpa laughed as I skidded in near him. “And if your grandmother sees you acting like that she might well try to keep you from coming out again.”

“I'd like to see her try, wait, is she here!?” I hadn't seen her, but I quickly looked around in mock panic. The only things around us were a few other carriages and a small storage barn, not even animals.

“Of course not, do you think she'd want to go frolicking around a field at first light?”

“Only if she had no other choice.” I turned to the other man. “My apologies, but I don't believe we've met, Percival.” I offered extending a hand in greeting and a smile.

“Pleasure sir, Lionel Rightroad, I'm the test captain.” As he spoke I felt my smile falter.

“Ah, so you'll be going after me?”

The two men exchanged a glance, before my grandfather tried to speak to me again.

“Percival, this is an untested machine, and while I believe you'll do fine, and it will work as we know it should you simply can't be the first to use it. The danger may only be slight, but it is there.”

“There is nobody who understands it better than me, with the only possible exception of yourself grandfather, and I'd dispute even that. You'll find that I'm also more than durable enough to survive any issues we might have today.”

“Your grandfather has been training me on the controls for the last few weeks, even allowing me to use the undersized versions, and while perhaps I don't feel confident understanding all the concepts as well as either of you distinguished gentlemen I am quite durable myself.”

“Is that so?” I asked.

“It is in...” There was a resounding BOOM as I punched him in the stomach. He looked down, having been blown back, but not out of his stance. “Kindly do not do that again.”

“Percival,” grandfather said dangerously.

“I am suitably impressed.” I was also suitably infuriated. They were trying to steal this from me!

“Apologize.”

“My apologies Mr. Rightroad, I felt the need to make sure.” The jerk was indeed tough enough to survive a crash, unfortunately.

“Let us put it behind us shall we?” the man said magnanimously.

“Very well, is everything ready?” I asked them.

“Should be,” grandpa answered.

“You've already done the full check too?” I inquired, almost hurt, they were pushing me out of my own project, and he was supposed to wait for me.

“Well, not this morning, but when it came in last night...”

“Before every flight,” I insisted. “Let's do it again, just to make sure.”

My plan was a simple one, but one that I was going to do.

“He's not wrong sir,” Lionel said with a shrug. “We always the same thing with ships.”

“Fine, fine,” grandpa agreed with a gruff.

They watched me like hawks as we went over to the plane, the first plane on this world, and began to examine it. I was stunned, thrilled, for it was a thing of beauty. On the outside it looked like something from world war I, but inside it was filled with magic. Magic devices were the motor, pulling it rather than an internal combustion engine, making it near silent, they ran the controls, moving flaps, adjusting speed, all o it. Motorized versions would come I was sure, soon enough, but this one wasn't that.

We took our time going over every inch, with me pointing out the small changes, things that were just a bit different from our models for one reason or another. They were few, but they were there, for no model really could do a perfect job. I even looked over the wheels, made from some rubber-like substance I was told had come from a magical beast. Though I looked I couldn't find any flaws of note. There were a few marks from shipping, places where it had been moved or put together, but all looked perfect.

In fact I took so long going over every crease and crevice that they moved back a bit and began talking. Perhaps they were satisfied with it, but I wasn't, because I wasn't supposed to be the first. A horse whinnied from where our carriages were loudly and grandfather looked. Horses got into such states often, kicking each other or making noise, and it was the perfect time.

I hopped from the wing into the small cockpit, made for two but only needing one and hit the controls as fast as I could. Mr. Rightroad might have been tough, but I doubted he was as fast as me and I was right. Power flipped on before he even realized what I was doing. The magical, silent nature of the startup was key, there was no roar of an engine, no thudding of blades, no delay time, I just began to move. Grandpa barely had time to register the other man's movement before the throttle was at full, pulling me down the runway as fast as a speeding horse.

Lionel was shouting curses, grandpa was yelling, I was laughing manically, today was a good day indeed.