<I am still not very good at it and sometimes I try it and it doesn't work as well as expected and then I am panicked by that and it works even less well.>

:That makes sense! It sounds very stressful. Do you want me to go through some ways I can try to help you with that with the kind of magic I have?: 

He is slightly confused by the question. <You can do that.>

:So, I have Mindhealing, which I'm told is a misnomer because it's a very broad-use power. When the Yeerks captured some of our people and then they couldn't do magic anymore, that's why, it's because one of Leareth's people did something in their mind to protect against Yeerks using them. Anyway. A really simple example of something I could do, which I think would work for you all right, is called a calming-loop redirect, and it basically means that if something happens where your usual response is to be panicked about it, like trying to move and it not working how you expected, then instead, you would have a moment where you could notice and decide to not panic about it: 

<I understand.>

:Do you think it would help if I did that? You can say no, and you can also tell me to stop anytime if you don't like it, because unlike a Yeerk: somewhat pointedly, :I am only going to do things in your head when you want me to, because it's going to help you get better: 

<I want you to fix the things that are wrong with me.>

She could wish he had a different framing on the whole thing but he's trying so hard and being very cooperative and really she can't complain. :All right. Unfortunately I have to see the thing that goes wrong in order to know what to do, so can I get you to try some kinds of moving around that are hard and likely to result in the thing that scares you? And then you won't have to be panicked for long, I can help you calm down with the Projective Empathy: 

He tries to use his tail to skim the grass where it's growing tall. His tail mostly obeys him but it's very jerky and that's upsetting, he's defenseless if his tail doesn't work and he's upset about that.

That's so reasonable of him! Melody watches the tapestry closely as it happens, then helps him calm down with a push of Projective Empathy. :All right, that's good, I saw the issue. Now - the second part of this, is that I need you to focus on something - it could be a place you remember, or a fact about the situation here, or anything really - that helps you feel calm and safe, so I can see what that looks like, and when you're doing that I'm going to use my magic to make a link there. It's going to feel weird when I do; if you want I can just show you that first without doing anything in particular, so it'll be less startling?: 

<I cannot think of anything> he says after a moment.

Oh no that is one of the saddest things Melody has ever heard. Everyone has something they can use for a calming-loop. 

:Do you think it would feel calming if I asked those cute foals to come over here and snuggle with you? I'm sure they would love to, they're snugglehogs and their parents are busy: 

<I don't know. I suppose we could try it.>

The foals are so happy! Taver says they can play with War-Prince Alloran as much as they want and this is the BEST THING and now the lady from Healers' says they can SNUGGLE TOO. They run across the field and cuddle up against him and one of them asks if they can hear a story, last night they were trying to extract Andalite stories-for-children from him. 

He will tell them some children's stories about the Ellimist who taught the Andalites a very long time ago. 

He is - somewhat calmer but still not all that calm. He does seem to be getting some important thing out of this but it is not precisely 'calm'.

Well, she can work with that for now, ‘calmer’ is better than before and she can supplement it with her Projective Empathy. She goes gently, his mind is in such fragile shape, and she’s good at precision; the sensory effects are noticeable, everything softens in some hard-to-describe way, but mild. Melody watches closely to check if this is scaring him.

He seems disconcerted about it but not exactly upset about it. Morphing involves having lots of weird senses.

:Done: she says, when she’s done.

<Should I be able to notice it?>

:Not yet. You’ll notice something when you’re up and moving again and the upsetting thing happens, but you don’t have to do that yet:

<I see. Thank you.>

He's probably tired, Mindhealing is tiring and it's got to be especially hard on him when his entire mind is - like that. 

:I think that's enough fixing things for today. I'm going to go do some other things here, and probably Matirin will come speak with you, and then before I leave I'll check in again: 

<I understand.>

She Mindspeaks Matirin to let him know she's done talking to Alloran, and then heads to the House of Healing to see if they have any disasters they want her to deal with before she leaves Haven again. 

Matirin goes to speak with Alloran. It's been - thirty years. They met very briefly. He is not sure Alloran will remember anything and it would be discourteous, to put him on the spot about it. He bows. 

<Estavar-Illit-Semitur graduated from the academy two homeyears ago.> he says. <With honors.>

             <I am glad> Alloran says. <Is the war over everywhere.>

 <No. Just here. I do not know where he is deployed. I want to ask you what you know of Yeerk deployments elsewhere, actually.>

            <I assumed as much.>

<What's the situation on Anatl.>

           <When last they spoke of it they were hoping that our navy would move there sooner than Earth, they considered it more defensible.>

They speak for about an hour, at which point Alloran is obviously having a very hard time staying on his feet. <Thank you.> Matirin says. 

         <I can keep going.>

<I want to return to the ship. Leareth is still recovering from having been a Yeerk captive and the negotiations are delicate.>

          <He's an interesting man.>

<Were you in his head or did the Visser leave for that.>

           <He preferred to morph Yeerk with my body. It minimizes logistics.> He haaaaaaaated it.

<He is despicable> Matirin says evenly, tail swishing. <...I am curious about your read on Leareth.>

           <I do not think they are the same in any sense. I am confused that the Visser thought so. Leareth is a ruthless man but not a monster. He would have - done terrible things, sure - we've done terrible things - were you really sent to Earth with orders to destroy it ->

<Not with orders for it. Just with weapons for it. I am sure they would have arrested me, afterwards. And that's - right, I think - so that we are not destroying our capacity, as a people, to not countenance such things, even when we have to do them...>

            <Yes.>

<My interpretation is that Leareth is the thing that Visser Three told himself he was. It - seems to have taught him something, to come into contact with the real thing.>

           <Visser Three was lying to himself.>

Isn't everyone, Matirin thinks, tiredly. <No one among our people has forgotten or forgiven one day of what he did to you.>

           Alloran sways. 

<I need to return now> Matirin says. <We are allied with Valdemar. I would not command you, here ->

           <You may.>

<Prioritize being available to answer questions, for at least the next few weeks. I will probably send someone else. Listen to the doctors, including Melody, she's an odd kind of doctor but a competent one. Learn about the local gods. I am confused about them and I think we can curry favor with Leareth by murdering them and I want to figure out whether we should.>

And he heads out to find his ride back.