"It feels so good to breathe again," I say to myself as I admire the fields of horses stretching to the mountains in the distance. Being in a cave with 165 heroines was both an exhilarating and...a somewhat claustrophobic experience. Not to mention, quite stuffy. Edoras is a welcome change of air to say the least. 

In the shade of the large wooden gate, I buckle on my sword, and place my shield on my back. While Faramir had assured me earlier that all of the Rohirric and extra agents from the Inter-Fiction Security Force had been placed on guard duty, I was not taking any chances. The election HAD been sabotaged by goblins this year after all. Or was it the Mischievous Imps? Who could say. 

I look out beyond the gate into the court terrace and see Eowyn coming towards me. Her large green skirt swishes along the dried grass as she breaks into a smile upon seeing me. 

"Are you ready, my fellow shieldmaiden?" She asks gaily. 

I nod. "As long as these butterflies in my stomach don't consume me first. You would think that after ten years of going up to people and speaking that it wouldn't be so hard." 

"Ah, but you're dealing with your fellow men there. Many of these are elves, princesses, and even a witch or two." 

"We could have done without the latter," I growl softly. "My heroines Janina and Magda don't need to be picking up any bad ideas, especially Magda. She's trouble enough as it is."  

Eowyn laughed. "Well, let us hope that Janina will pick up some pointers from her fellow heroines about how to be a more cooperative Main Character. Maybe then, you will get past those edits you've been stuck on for the past three years." 

"Prayers to the Firmament that it may be so." I say reverently as I reach the stage. 

As I pass forward, a warm breeze picks up the pink and silver ribbons that decorate the walkway. Valiantly fighting against my stomach, I climb onto the stage and grab the microphone. 

"Good day to you all, fair friends! My name is Catherine Hawthorn and I welcome you all to the city of Edoras. Today, we are here to honor the Most Epic Heroine, and I must say, it was a tough race this year." I gave a nervous laugh. "Please welcome our beloved hostess for the evening, the Lady Eowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan!"

As the audience sent up their applause, Eowyn sweeps up behind me and takes the microphone from my trembling hands.

"Greetings to you all, good friends of all worlds beyond! It is a great honor to present the Award for the Most Epic Heroine for this 8th Silmaril Awards. But I do not bear this alone, for I have been granted permission by Lord Aragon to have some assistants. So please join me in welcoming our dear friends from Narnia, Aravis and Queen Lucy Pevensie!" 

Two young girls - one wearing the dress of a Calormen noblewoman, the other a short skirt and sweater - bound up onto the stage, each sporting a sparkling Silmaril of their own. Lucy wheels out a cart full of flowers, and Aravis hands Eowyn a few squares of parchment. 

Eowyn opens one and begins to read. "And now, we shall announce the standings of our five finalists, as determined by the will of the people."

"For fourth place, with 23 votes, we have a familiar face on the finalist stage: Rose Red from Tales of the Gladstone Wood!"

A young woman dressed in white rags and a veil over her face emerges from the bushes near the stage. Behind her, a goat gently nudges her from behind.  Upon reaching the stage, she accepts a bunch of red roses that is offered to her by Lucy and then steps aside. 

Eowyn turns back to the parchment. 

"For third place with 26 votes, we have a tie between Buttercup from The Princess Bride and Scarlet from the Lunar Chronicles!" 

Two young women come up the aisle together, one on each side. Both wear red, except one is wearing a floor-length gown and the other a baggy sweatshirt. Lucy and Aravis both hand them a bunch of red roses - red seemed to be the common color of the day - and they took their place on the stage among respectable applause. 

Eowyn continued, "With 35 votes, second place goes to...Nymphadora Tonks of Harry Potter." 

With a slightly chagrined look, a girl with purple hair accepts her roses and takes her place among the other finalists. After eyeing each other, we look to Eowyn, who proceeds to grab a different parchment from the table beside her. 

An expectant hush fills the field as Eowyn began again. 

"The Silmaril for the Epic Herione goes to a young lady who had 42 votes. She has been on the finalist's stage in 2018, 2020, 2021 and now 2023. She had the most nominations this year with 14, far outpacing her competitors. May I present, 

Leeli Igiby of the Wingfeather Saga! 

An eruption of cheers burst forth from the audience as a little girl of nearly 10 years old hobbles up to the stage on her crutch. Following behind her is a little black dog, dancing all around her in excitement.

"Nugget! Let her walk up, you silly puppy!" I call out to him as Leeli mounted the steps. 

She stopped with a smile in front of Eowyn, who had a warm smile in return. "I'm very pleased that you are the one who is receiving this award today, Leeli. While your little body may not be whole, your heart is courageous and your soul is warm and nurturing. You are an excellent example to many little girls and women alike. May we?" 

With Eowyn supporting the jewel, and Lucy and Aravis holding the ribbon open, the Silmaril Award was placed on Leeli's little neck. 

But suddenly, cheers turn to screams! 

For as soon as Lucy and Aravis step away from Leeli, she was grabbed from behind with claw-like hands. 

"Gnag the Nameless!" Eowyn shouts in a terrible voice. "Why do you dare to interrupt this ceremony?" 

A terrible hiss emanates from the hooded figure. "I did not receive the Most Nefarious Villian award, to my shame! But, I shall prove my worthiness to receive it to all the worlds...by doing what I do best. Kidnapping children!" 

With an evil cackle, he attempts to pick up Leeli by the elbow. However, 165 heroines had already risen from their seats and were now drawing forth their weapon of choice. 

"Release her at once!" Came the general cry. 

"What? Do you think I am scared of a bunch of women?" Gnag the Nameless mocks.

But his sarcastic tone was soon turned to whines as Leeli drops a heavy blow from her crutch unto his head. In a moment, Gnag is swarmed by heroines seeking to protect their little sister. It took a few moments for the Inter-Fiction Security Squad to separate out the combatants and Gnag emerged with quite a few scars to add to his shame. 

I rush over to Leeli, who has emerged from the fray a little shaken. Nugget is also dancing around, doing his best to lick Leeli's face in comfort. Lucy also came up with a handy hanky. 

"Don't worry Leeli, he won't bother us anymore. Plus, we have the feast tonight and the Majestic Ruler's celebration on Monday at DJ Edwardson's blog to look forward to!" She said in her cheerful British voice. 

Leeli perked up immediately and turned to see her fellow heroines giving her another round of applause for her act of bravery. 

And with that, we bid our guest to feast and enjoy each other's company as the night rolls on. Be sure to check out the other blogs to find out the winners of the other categories!