Disclaimer: This a fan-fiction derived from the reputed works of Professor Tolkien, though the elements are very messed up and mixed with random facts. I own neither the golden-voiced narrator here nor anything related to the elves, but I do hold myself responsible for all the mistakes.
Warnings:
1, This is only an extremely AU fanfic. I dare say many readers will consider scolding me for not even trying to stick to canon, and others will laugh at it, but perhaps some will find it tolerable.
2, I'm not a native speaker, but this fic is unbeta-ed, because I feel it unsafe to require a stranger to put up with my completely cracked imagination. I'd really appreciate it if you point out the mistakes and/or awkward usages.
A/N: I guess it has to do with my being a Harry Potter fan, but I can't help wondering about the nature of magic in Tolkien's world. Elves do have magic - in the Hobbit, it is told that "even in those days their (wood-elves) magic was strong". However, they are woven into the background instead of described explicitly. That is why this weird piece came out.
The importance of magic has ever been played down by our diligent historians: when you take something for granted, you won't brag about it all day. At least, that was the initial reason. Then we found human as well as their inability to perform magic, so their trust and alliance had to be earned through our intentional imitation - or that was what the sagely High King recommended.
Not all of our magic involves spells and rituals. Some have it in their voice, some have it in their mind, and there are women who can inject magic into all things they touch. Still there are some that need a special tree, a certain fountain, or a whole temple to perform.
Silvan elves excel in manipulating stones and wood, and that, combined with their extreme light-footedness, is how they can hide themselves. Unlike what many people think, they cannot vanish in thin air - that would be pixies. Most Grey Elves can induce hypnosis with certain objects - a garment, or a running river. With Light Elves we are unfamiliar, but we know that Sea Elves can do transfiguration on all sea beings though they hold no sway over the sea itself - that power belongs only to Ulmo, Osse and Uinen.
Deep Elves are good with voices - we make them with craft. We can invoke many living and unliving things with our voices, though most of us cannot foresee exactly what they are summoning. That is indeed frustrating, but the wiser, of course, know that you should include their names in your speech.
However, even the wisest of us can fail. For one thing, none of my family ever saw Eru Allfather before the Great Sinkage. Of course, being the All-Mighty, he might have taken the liberty to choose a lesser but sufficiently capable delegate without bothering to inform us. As to the delegate's identity: numerous possibilities have been proposed, but I personally hold that, considering that our fate does not go beyond the Music of the Holy Ones, it was probably the Know-It-All in the North. Indeed, he seemed to have shown up way too early but I understand him: seers can never resist the temptation to foretell. There are quite a few such examples among us, some of which you might already know.
Part of the incantation did work. We saw a lot of darkness, especially during the last few decades, when my youngest brothers would suddenly bolt up in dreams, terrified (mind you though, no one says Eru cannot be clad in black, and it always seemed the red-haired pair never grew out of teenagers). One of the dark-haired insisted they were ridiculous: surely those who came for darkness could not fear it. Of course, he had forgotten the necessity of stars till the underground caves unnerved himself. At that time, he received simultaneous derisions from the other two familiar with the work of the dwarves. Ironically, they screamed before being engulfed by darkness - or more precisely, archers hiding in shadows - despite their claims not to fear. But the pair of red head perished in bright and burning flames* - the antithesis of darkness. So even that part of its effect seems very volatile.
Thankfully, my own magic proves faithful till now and I would have loved to show you with a harp but for my foster son's objection. Arguably the best and only historian available to you aftercomers, he deems it better to cover up the role of Noldorin magic in his lore books due to their imprecise nature. After all, elves, being now viewed as the loftier, wiser and more capable race, do have a reputation to keep.
* The idea that Ambarussa died in fire is taken from my friend's story (in Chinese), where they tried to save Elrond and Elros from a terrible fire set by the armies, but were caught in it.