The gravity has been defied, the clouds are no longer unreachable. The wind blows into his eyes, and he squints them - a gesture so small, so familiar. Together with Toothless, they rise up to the heights never seen by a man before. They get to the top of the World, the tip of the sky with a peculiar speed. He is home, on the back of his dragon, up in the air where they both belong.
They spin, and twirl and circle, moving together as one. Their motions are synchronized. There's no place for unease, no place for indecision. Minds clear, unfolded by the clarity of mutual trust. Every slightest gesture emits years of experience, uncountable days of odorous bond. Complete and thorough trust.
"What do you think, bud? You wanna give this a shot?" Hiccup says, his voice much louder than usual to make sure Toothless hears him through the mask on his face. He taps his friend on the back of his neck: a habit that breathes newly-kindled fervor every time. The Night Fury skeptically squints its eyes in response. Toothless grunts, and Hiccup can distinguish tiny bits of hesitation in the noise.
"Toothless," Hiccup chimes childishly, "it'll be fine!"
He resets position of Toothless' tail with his prosthetic leg to let the dragon be in control of his own flight.
There's a moment of preparation. He stretches his shoulder, his neck, stays still for a split moment taking in the excitement, the thrill of the very instant. Hiccup's heart is thumping against his rib cage, the blood pumps in his veins. He closes his eyes, takes a sharp breath in, and slowly slides from the saddle.
And down he falls. Through the crystal air, the ever so weightless clouds. He sways around once, and twice, with Toothless joyously by his side. Hiccup smiles and engraves in his memory every second of the fall. Of the magnificence, ethereality of Freedom. Toothless can sense it, sense the levity in his friend's beaming eyes.
The clouds alarmingly drift apart for Hiccup to register the surface of the water underneath, reminding him that the sky isn't infinite. Although, the wonder of flight might be.
The boy then bends his knees and thrusts his hands through the tethers on the many layers of his clothing. In a rapid movement, he throws his hands apart, and two pieces of leather fabric drift open. Hiccup's whole body yanks up, his wings bring him upper, and upper, back to the mundane heights of their flying routine.
Toothless patiently waits until Hiccup safely extracts his innovated wings to spread out his own, and let himself be carried up to the boy's level. Hiccup attempts to imitate the smooth elegance of Toothless' flight with stubborn precision. The pressure under his body keeps him floating in the air, shifting him from side to side. The Sun above him emits the brightest of lights and Hiccup wonders if it's ever been this radiant before.
"This is amazing!" he exclaims to no one in particular. He looks back at the dragon, flying right behind him, all set and ready to protect his human from any unexpected and unplanned circumstances. Hiccup knows that, he knows the protectiveness of his friend, and welcomes it with his whole entity. He feels safe, he feels protected, he feels imponderous.
The word 'freedom' has never held this much meaning before, and Hiccup can feel it overflow every cell of his body.
The gravity has been defied, and Freedom has been captured right in his hands.