Chapter 8: The Road Goes Ever On and On

Frodo crept up silently behind Bilbo. "Bilbo, Bilbo," he called softly.

The Hobbit turned. "Ah, Frodo my friend and nephew! This is a lovely night. How are you?"

"Just fine, Uncle Bilbo, just fine," he replied, smoothly. "A question..."

The old Hobbit smiled, although it was weary and worn. "My dear Frodo..." he said gently. "Anything. Ask."

"It concerns...well, it concerns an object." Frodo avoided his uncle's gaze.

Then Bilbo cried, "Enough! You deal with riddles more than Gandalf. Ask, ask, do not linger long in confusion!"

Frodo looked up, and he smiled, but it was not genuine, as most of his smiles had been of late. "When you longed for the Ring that you could not have; how did you prevent from becoming corrupted?"

At that Bilbo sighed, and was wearier. "Such grim questions! I certainly managed better than that old Gollum...poor weak thing. I averted myself by writing, tales and songs, and singing with the Elves!

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began
Now far ahead the Road has gone
And I must follow, if I can
Pursuing it with eager feet
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet
And whither then? I cannot say.

You see? It helped me to sing. Ah, alas, if only Gollum knew..." he heaved a sigh, and was silent for a little while longer.

Frodo, too, said nothing. "Poor Smeagol is dead, and it would not help him..." he said, "Yet I am almost glad he was who he was, else he would not have helped me destroy the Ring." And for one brief second he was Frodo Baggins again, although Evenstar was long forgotten and discarded. Then the moment passed, and there was a hungry light in his eyes, that had Bilbo been looking, he would have recognized it as the glare he saw when he first met Gollum.

But Bilbo, too, was lost in memories of old. He sighed again, only this time almost wistfully. "This has been our last adventure, Frodo..." he said with a smile on his face. "And then I shall leave this place. I say farewell to you now, and hope you never have to deal with what Gollum and I went through!"

And Frodo said, "Farewell, dear Bilbo." But he was thinking something else, something Lassalanta and the Three would have agreed with:

It's too late for that, Bilbo...far too late...