The trail narrowed again by late afternoon, cutting along a ridge where the wind never seemed to rest. Clouds rolled low over the peaks to the west, heavy and slow, as if they were considering following. The Company pressed on in a long, quiet line, boots scraping stone, cloaks pulled tight.
Bilbo walked near the front now, just behind Gandalf.
He didn't realize Edwen had fallen back until the elf's voice came softly from behind him.
"Bilbo. Walk with me a moment."
Bilbo's stomach tightened, though he wasn't sure why. He nodded and slowed his pace. The two of them drifted to the side of the path, letting the others move ahead. Gandalf glanced back once, eyes narrowing slightly, but said nothing.
They walked in silence for several steps.
Edwen didn't rush it. He never did.
"You've been carrying yourself differently since the tunnels," Edwen said at last. Not an accusation. An observation.
Bilbo swallowed. "I suppose anyone would, after getting lost underground."
"Yes," Edwen agreed. "Anyone would be shaken. But you are not merely shaken."
Bilbo's hand twitched toward his pocket and stopped.
Edwen noticed.
"I am not here to take anything from you," the elf said quietly. "Nor to scold you. I just want the truth."
Bilbo let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"There was… something down there," he said. "I met a creature. He called himself Gollum."
Edwen's eyes sharpened. "You converse with him."
"We traded riddles," Bilbo said, then huffed out a humorless laugh. "Which sounds ridiculous, considering he wanted to eat me."
"Edwen hummed in acknowledgement, and Bilbo nodded.
There was a long pause.
"You are leaving something out," Edwen said gently.
Bilbo stopped walking.
The path dropped away on one side, falling into a fog-filled valley. He stared at it for a moment, then turned to face the elf.
"I found something," he said.
Edwen waited.
"In the dark," Bilbo continued. "Before I met him. A ring. Just… lying there."
That earned the slightest change in Edwen's expression into deep focus.
"A ring," Edwen repeated.
"Yes."
Bilbo hesitated, then added, "It made me invisible."
The wind gusted between them, tugging at cloaks and loose hair.
Edwen's voice stayed calm. "You are certain."
"I put it on," Bilbo said. "Gollum ran right past me. Didn't see me at all."
Edwen closed his eyes briefly, then opened them.
"You did not tell Gandalf."
Bilbo shook his head. "I didn't know how. I still don't."
Edwen studied him for a long moment, searching for something Bilbo couldn't quite name.
"Bilbo," he said carefully, "items that grant invisibility are rare. Items that do so without spoken spell or effort are rarer still."
Bilbo's throat went dry. "You think it's dangerous."
"I think," Edwen said, choosing his words, "that anything which works so easily should never be trusted."
Bilbo looked away. "It saved my life."
"Yes," Edwen agreed. "And that is precisely why it will be hard to give up."
That landed harder than any accusation.
They stood there, the wind filling the silence.
At last, Bilbo asked, "Are you going to tell Gandalf?"
Edwen met his eyes. "I would prefer that you do."
Bilbo stiffened. "I.."
"Not as a confession," Edwen said quickly. "As a conversation. Gandalf is not a judge. He is a watcher. He sees things others miss."
Bilbo's voice was small. "What if he takes it?"
Edwen answered honestly. "Then it is because it should not remain with you."
Bilbo clenched his fists.
"I'm not saying you must give it to him today," Edwen added. "But you cannot carry this alone. You are already shouldering more than you realize."
Bilbo laughed weakly. "Funny. I've never felt so important in my life, and I wish I didn't."
Edwen's expression softened.
"Importance is rarely comfortable," he said. "Come. Let us speak to Gandalf together."
They rejoined the Company near a stand of pines where Gandalf had paused to wait. The wizard took one look at their faces and sighed.
"Well," Gandalf said, "that look usually means trouble."
Bilbo opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Edwen placed a steady hand on his shoulder. Not pushing. Just there.
"There is something Bilbo found in the tunnels," Edwen said. "Something he believes you should know about."
Gandalf's eyes moved to Bilbo, sharp but patient.
Bilbo swallowed.
"It's a ring," he said. "A plain one. It makes me invisible."
The forest seemed to go very quiet.
Gandalf didn't speak at once. He stepped closer, studying Bilbo's face, then his hands, then very carefully his pocket.
"May I see it?" Gandalf asked.
Bilbo hesitated.
Then, slowly, he reached into his pocket and closed his fingers around the small, cold circle.