Title: Spring Comes Softly
Author: Susana
Summary: Softly, sweetly, magic began to return to Camelot.
Arthur's breakfast in hand, Merlin stopped on the open gallery to listen to the sweet call of a robin, heralding the end of winter.
Much like a brave spring after a cold, long winter, magic had begun to return to Camelot. It had started just after Arthur married Gwen. Just like a barely visible budding leaf, it was easy to miss at first.
It had started in the kitchens. Food was more often perfectly hot, or perfectly cold. Less often turned sour. Then, one day, Merlin saw a withered apple a kitchen maid was chopping up for a pie. Wrinkled and sickly one moment, then the kitchen maid's head bowed. Merlin thought that he heard a light, sweet note, just for a split second. The apple grew round and firm again, it even shone.
He gasped. She looked up at him, the gold not quite faded from her doe-brown eyes.
Her name was Eshild. He taught her spells to check food for poison, and he slept all the more soundly knowing that Arthur and Gwen were less likely to die that way.
Then came Rolf, the farrier who made horseshoes which always fit perfectly.
One night, a boggart tried to sneak into the castle, and was caught by a new guardsman, Bolton. Whose mother had been a Druid, and who was more than willing to help the great Emrys sneak in and out of the castle.
Magic wasn't legal, not yet. But the burnings had stopped. Arthur hadn't accepted magic, but he didn't search it out unless it was causing harm.
Soon enough, the magic users began to come in twos and threes. Dunstan the page and Fleta the goosegirl. Maida the tailor's wife, Newell the blacksmith, and old Ulla the herbalist, the first of them to know Gaius of old.
Soon enough, Camelot was filled with the quiet hum of little, practical magics. It sounded sweet and hopeful, like the Robin's song.
"Merlin!" Yelled the King, because his breakfast was late.
Eshild giggled as she passed Merlin, bread basket in hand. A wave of her hand, and the meal was reheated to the perfect temperature. Which was nice, because Merlin's magic always made it too hot.