All is black. But the blackness feels big, as if the ceiling must be far overhead and the walls many spans apart. There is a rustling and the warmth of many bodies gathered in one place. Hushed whispers pass back and forth.
Then with a whoosh, torches flame to life and illuminate a massive cavern. Stalactites jag from the ceiling like great teeth. At one end, a stone slab is raised to serve as a stage, and the crowd of people are gathered before it.
“Greetings!” I shout from the stage, my voice echoing without the use of a microphone. “What a fine turnout we’ve had for the 2018 Silmaril Awards. Welcome to the final ceremony–today Smaug himself will award a Silmaril to the most magnificent dragon!”
Cheers resound.
“Before he arrives, just a quick recap in case you missed any of the awards ceremonies.” I pull a list from my pocket. “This year’s winners have included a very sportsmanlike but incompetent henchman, a collection of mischevous imps, a rather strange and sock-ish fellow, a not-so-little faithful friend, a beloved silver tongue, a wise and academically-inclined counselor, a glamorous villain, a princely hero, and a spirited heroine.”
I gulp in a deep breath. “And now I do believe I’ll pass things off to–“
A great rumbling fills the cavern. Guests look around worriedly.
“MY ARMOR IS LIKE TENFOLD SHIELDS,” a voice booms from someplace unseen. “MY TEETH ARE SWORDS, MY CLAWS SPEARS, THE SHOCK OF MY TAIL A THUNDERBOLT, MY WINGS A HURRICANE, AND MY BREATH DEATH!”
Flames gush from a side passage. All at once, a humongous red-golden dragon bursts into the cavern and leaps onto stage. I sidestep to avoid the thrash of his tail.
“Smaug!” I say. “We were just talking about–“
“SILENCE!” he roars. “You have summoned me to present another Silmaril, and a Silmaril I shall present. Where are the worthy contestants?” He swings his head back and forth, luminous eyes scanning the audience. Everyone shrinks back in fear.
A much smaller, black dragon is the only one to chitter happily, a gleaming gem hanging around his neck.
“Ah, the toothless winner of last year,” Smaug says. “I should hope this year’s victor boasts a few more teeth than you, night fury.”
Toothless grins, teeth rising from his gums to flash in the firelight.
I clap my hands together, lest these two dragons begin a fire fest, and call out, “Contestants, please come forward!”
Five figures venture out from another side tunnel and join us on the stony stage. I pull a scroll from my other pocket and unroll it so Smaug can read it. He lowers his head and peers at the scroll with one eye.
“In fifth place with twenty votes . . .” He glances at the contestants. “Kazul from The Enchanted Forest Chronicles.“
Kazul bows her head to the audience and flies off the stage.
“Fraternizes with humans, that one,” Smaug mutters. “I smell princess all over her. Ahem. In fourth place with twenty-two votes . . . Gem from The Ilyon Chronicles.“
A blue and black dragoness flutters her wings in thanks, then joins Kazul on the ground.
“Do all these dragons make friends with men?” Smaug grumbles. “I should think such friendships diminish their magnificence, small though it may be.”
“Not all dragons believe that magnificence is measured by gold and power,” I say.
He snorts a plume of smoke and returns to the scroll. “In third place with thirty-five votes . . . Death-in-Life from Tales of Goldstone Wood.“
An imposing dragon with black scales and glittering eyes shoots a tongue of flame. “Third place? How dare the hearts of men reject me!”
Smaug chuckles deep in his throat. “Now there’s a more magnificent beast. Not quite so magnificent as myself, of course.”
Death-in-Life storms from the cavern with a mighty shriek. By the relieved sighs from the audience, all are glad to see him leave.
“In second place with forty-four votes . . . Malcolm Blackfire from The Afterverse.“
This time, boisterous cheers erupt as a great red dragon with piercing golden eyes steps forward. “Yes, yes, Headmaster of Warrengate Academy of Advanced Magic and all that rot. I must say, I am surprised to hear you cheering for me in this scaly form. Usually you prefer to see me in my natural state.” Fire crackles and whirls around him, and he dwindles to a much smaller form. The blaze vanishes, leaving behind a tall, lanky man with grey-streaked red hair. He brushes an ember from the sleeve of his suit jacket. “Is this better?”
The audience whistles and claps all the louder.
Smaug thumps his tail, shaking the stone slab. “A dragon who is a man? Could your selection become any worse? Away with you, shape shifter.”
“Careful, Volcano-Breath,” Malcolm snaps. “In my dragon form, I’m really quite deadly.” But he stalks off the stage just the same.
“Well,” I say brightly. “It should be obvious now who the winner is. You may feel free to return to your Mountain now, Smaug . . .”
Before I can roll up the scroll, Smaug gets a glimpse of the final name. He spits a fireball, and I only just manage to let go of the scroll before it is consumed.
“WHAT IS THIS OUTRAGE?” He whirls around to face the last contestant, a small boy standing all alone with his hands behind his back.
The boy blanches under Smaug’s stare. “Er . . . hullo, Sir Dragon. I’m Eustace Clarence Scrubb, but I’d prefer if you called me Eustace. Or Scrubb would do just–“
“A BOY?” Smaug roars. “I thought this award was to go to the most magnificent dragon, yet here the people have muddied the waters and voted for . . . for weak, incompetent, folly-some humans.” Sparks fly from his large maw with every word, and the audience shuffles backward to put more space between themselves and Smaug’s rage.
“He did receive a whopping seventy-three votes, Smaug,” I say.
“Now see here,” Eustace cries, “if you incinerate me, Mr. Dragon, I’ll call the British Consul!”
I send him a warning look.
Eustace straightens his shirt and turns a little red. “I mean, that wouldn’t be proper. You see, I was a dragon once.”
“You?” sneers Smaug.
“Yes. And I’m all the better for it. It was a miserable experience, but thank Aslan I came out the other side of that ordeal a very different boy.”
“Aslan?” More smoke pours from Smaug’s nostrils. “And who, pray tell, is he?”
“Only the greatest king there ever was, the Son of the Emperor Across the Sea.” Eustace pauses, and his eyes seem to tear up with memories. “He’s a lion.”
Smaug roars louder than ever and grit falls from the ceiling. “Enough! When you foolish folk decide to cease turning the Silmaril Awards into a circus, then perhaps you may call me to present again. I am through!” He beats his powerful wings and flies from the cavern, nearly snuffing out the torches in his wake.
I chuckle nervously. “Ah, he’ll cool down before next year. In the meantime, Eustace, may I just say that I think you are a most worthy recipient of this year’s Silmaril.” I reach into yet another pocket and beckon him nearer.
Eustace approaches and kneels before me.
“Congratulations, Eustace.” I pull out a gleaming red pendant, a jewel hanging from a satin ribbon, and loop it over his head. “Let this be a reminder of where you have traveled and what you have become!”
Eustace breaks into a grin and stands to his feet as the audience breaks into the most thunderous applause yet.
LOL!!
Congratulations to Eustace!!
Though, I gotta admit… I totally agree with Smaug on this one. I LOVE Eustace and his dragonish-episode-life-changing-experience…. but to consider him in the "most magnificent dragon" category is a stretch, even for a die-hard Narnia fan like myself. Ah, well… the readers have spoken. 🙂
What a lovely wrap-up to another fabulous Silmaril Awards adventure!
I absolutely love dear old Eustace too, and his whole transformation story, but I agree! It's a bit of a stretch! XD Ah well, even if his draconic form was short-lived, it was good while it lasted.
Thank you, Jenelle! And thanks for all your hard work (and DJ's) to make this year's awards another success!
Yay for Eustace! But at the same time…haha. I definitely think Death-in-Life deserved that one. XD Nice post, Tracey, and huzzah for all the Silm Awards!
Hoorah for good ol' Scrubb!
I'm pretty sure Death-in-Life would agree. xD He was in the runnings last year too! Maybe next year he'll have a shot. 😉 Thanks so much, Faith!
You captured Smaug perfectly, and his reactions to the nominees as well.
I have to side with Smaug and Jenelle both, though. Eustace hardly comes to mind when I hear the words "most magnificent dragon." Then again, neither did last year's winner, a dragon the size of a small dog, but I guess we just present the winners, we don't pick them!
Also, great lines from Eustace who is a wonderful character in his own right.
Sad that this is the last award. They've been so much fun.
See everyone next year!
Thank you! I'm glad you thought so. 😀
I agree. He was a pretty great dragon while it lasted, but "magnificent" isn't the first description that comes to mind. Still, I'm glad he had a moment in the spotlight!
Aww, thank you. It helped that I had just finished listening to Focus on the Family's dramatization of "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader."
I'm sad to see it end too. Looking forward to round four! Thanks for all your hard work behind the scenes again!
Hehe, yay for Eustace!! As others have said, he wasn't the figure that immediately jumped into my mind when it came to this catagory, but he's a great character and I'm glad he's been honored! 😀
Also, I'm super happy Malcolm came in second place!! I'll definitely nominate him again next year and see if he can make it to first! XD
Same, Shay! Not who I expected to win, but I'm genuinely happy for him. He's a great chap–or turned out to be, anyway. 😀
I was happy for Malcolm too! Truth be told, I thought he'd snag the winning spot, what with all the nomination support he received. Maybe next year! 😉
Yay for Eustace! Also, you captured Smaug's personality PERFECTLY!!! I was trying very hard not to laugh whenever he got ticked at Eustace.
Great award! Can’t wait for next year!
Huzzah! LOL, THANK YOU!!!! I flipped back over my copy of "The Hobbit" to remind myself of his usual tone. XD Glad you found it funny!
Can't wait for next time myself! Thanks for participating!
OH MY GOSH. I was grinning through every. single. bit. This was pure brilliance!!!
Smaug's reaction to each of the nominees was HILARIOUS. Naturally he would not consider most of them as worthy contenders. Hahaha! Though I am glad Death-in-Life left quickly. That could have been a NASTY battle between him and Smaug. I shudder to think. o.o
I'm kind of both proud and totally amused that Eustace won "most magnificent dragon" amidst sooooo many other dragonish contenders. It's so unexpected. But I love it. XDD I mean, why not??? Not every little boy gets to be turned into a dragon and then freed of his scales by Aslan himself. It was epic! So huzzah for Eustace!
I was rooting for Malcolm though, but I am so proud he at least got second!!! Maybe next year he'll snag first! 😀
*huge applause for EVERYONE* This was an epic ceremony! I can't believe it's the end of the Silmaril Awards. *sniff, sniff* They were so fun! Huge thanks to all you amazing presenters for putting this on. YOU guys are the ones that deserve a Silmaril! <3
I'M SO GLAD. *beams* Thank you, my dear!
Smaug has a rather lofty opinion of himself, doesn't he? It's hard for any other dragon to match him, in his mind. XD Yes, if Death-in-Life hadn't exited the cavern, I suspect the audience would not have survived. And neither would I. o.O
Hahaha, saaaame! It's pretty funny, honestly. But he does have an epic, dragon-ish tale to tell, so it's not completely unfitting! Yay for Eustace!
He was getting SO much support during the nomination round, I thought for sure he'd win! Maybe next time, though!
It's sad that the awards are over again… But thank you for always participating so enthusiastically! Awww, you're the sweetest. <3
This was a great post! The Simaril Awards seem like a lot of fun! I'm not very educated on dragons in fiction, so this was a great introduction! I too find it interesting that Eustace is the "most magnificent dragon" given his nature. Smaug had some great points on the matter haha! Looking forward to next year!
Thank you! The awards have been a blast the last three years. You should definitely join in next time!
Well hey, now you've got a list of five dragon books to add to your reading list, right?
Yes, Eustace was an unexpected winner, that's for sure. XD
HURRAH FOR EUSTACE!! 😀 😀
This was a fun presentation, too! Eustace threatening to call the British Consul on Smaug. XD And of course, all Smaug’s disgruntled reactions were so very dragonish.
Well, it looks like next year, I’m going to have to start voting for dragons I’ve never read before, but sound really cool anyway. (*cough, cough* Malcolm Blackfire *cough, cough*)
…
…I actually just looked back through the nominations, and I’m realizing that I was the one who nominated Eustace in the first place. So… that was a surprise! (Ooh, I hope Smaug doesn’t scroll through these comments and find out who’s [in part] responsible for this… 😉
HIP HIP HOORAY!
Haha, I'm so glad you enjoyed the proceedings! I couldn't resist adding in that threat, especially since it made it into the movie too. XD
Orrrr you could READ about Malcolm Blackfire before next year. ;D Those books by Kyle are rather fun–and they're short, too.
Oh hey, that's awesome you were the one to nominate him! What an honor for you to see your nomination win! <3 Not to worry, Toothless and Malcolm helped me track down Smaug after the ceremony, and Malcolm sent him through a portal back to Middle Earth. You're safe. 😉
THANKS! I was getting worried about the potential dragon fire. 😛 I may just have to read through the Afterverse as a thank-you to Malcolm for helping with that. ;D
Hahaha, you shoooouuuld! It’s a super fun (and underrated) series. 😀
AAAAHHH YAY FOR EUSTACE! And what a ceremony! I think I love Smaug's grumpy quips a little too much… XD
Hahaha, is it possible to love them too much? 😉 I'm glad you had fun!
Amazing job, Tracey! Love the gifs and Smaug is always entertaining.
Eustace is the perfect choice.
Thank yoooouuu! Smaug was a lot of fun to write. Grumpy and proud and threatening and all… Yay for Eustace! ^_^
I gotta admit I almost laughed out loud while reading this…
Yay for Eustace!!
Well then, mission accomplished! 😉
Awesome post!! *applauds* I was SO rooting for Malcolm… so maybe next year! 😉 This was so hilarious and I also loved how outraged Smaug was about the state or lack thereof of dragonness of the contestants. XD (That… sentence does not make sense but you know what I mean. :P) The problem, of course, is there are always more people who've read (or watched. *cough*) Narnia than the other books, including Malcolm despite his loud support during nomination. XD BUT NEXT YEAR. 😉 Awesome poooost! ^_^
I was quite surprised that Malcolm DIDN’T win… but now that he has a foot (or a claw) in the door, maybe he’ll nab first place next year.
Thank you! ^_^ Haha, I know what you mean, don’t worry.
Yes, Narnia was quite popular this year! I don’t mind, for Narnia’s sake, but I’m also looking forward to seeing more books represented. 😀