Moments: Glory of Night
Tarn 2013
In life, simple moments can be some of the most powerful forces of change, despite sometimes lasting less than a second:
Astrid Hofferson had been trained and groomed into the Viking culture, which prided itself on physical and mental strength. The history of her people had hardened that with frequent raids by various breeds of dragons, she was bred to become a warrior that would defend Berk against the flying monstrosities.
She couldn't have imagined a scenario where that would be called into question. So while clutching to the young viking for dear life as the most dreaded beast in viking history flung them around the skies like a rag doll, a simple "Okay, i'm sorry! I'm sorry, just get me off this thing!" had been an apology that started her new outlook on life.
The Night Fury had settled down and took them calmly back to the sky, and once her heartrate started to settle down Astrid dared to open her eyes. Years later she would realize that doing so was the best and most important decision she ever made.
The sunset had cast a purple hue to the clouds, and as the dragon took them close enough, she felt compelled to reach out to the fluffy masses. Unbelieveable was a word that came to mind as Toothless took them higher and as the sun finished its descent, a majestic display of multi colored lights danced around them.
Astrid's heart leapt as the clouds below them parted to reveal the glory of Berk, campfires and lantern lights dotting the landscape like fireflies in the night sky. This was a moment she would never forget, and it occurred to her that she might be only the second person in Berk's history to see the village like this.
As the Night Fury soared through the rocky pillars that surrounded the village, something new and uncertain rushed through her and all Astrid knew was that she wanted to hold onto the moment forever. Putting aside all of her hard viking demeanor the young woman leaned in to rest her head on Hiccup's shoulder and wrapped her arms around him.
Things got more than a little hectic as minutes later, a fleet of food carrying dragons swarmed the three, forcing them to follow alongside them back to a volcanic island. Toothless followed them inside, where it became apparent that the dragon's had been feeding a far larger beast in order to avoid its wrath. Barely making it out with their lives, Astrid insisted on reporting what they found but Hiccup would not relent, "Not yet, they'll kill Toothless..."
She continued her explanation of how what they found was the goal of every Berkian viking for the past 300 years. "You want to keep this a secret, to protect your pet dragon? Are you serious?!"
Hiccup turned to look at her with what had to be the most serious look on his face that she had ever seen as he responded without hesitation, "Yes."
This was not the answer Astrid expected and in yet another moment, what she thought she knew disolved into the sky as Hiccup proved that he was far from the weak and useless viking that everyone in Berk thought him to be. Hiccup's strengths had shown themselves in his mind and unbreakable spirit, refusing to yield even when the very next day his own people turned against him.