A/N: Thank you Buckhunter, Guest, GuestM, and pallysAramisRios for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the first piece. ^_^ Here's yet another shade!Lancelot fix-it.
"It's A Delicate Thing"
It's a delicate thing, weaving a soul back together. Merlin can mend fabric and leather easily enough, and often he'll use his magic just to speed things along, but there are no shortcuts with this, and his magic must be wielded as carefully as a needle and thread set to sundered flesh.
Lancelot lies still as death on the cot in Gaius's chambers. Breaking Morgana's hold over him had only been part of the battle. They'd stopped him from carrying out her plans, had banished the hollow shade from his mortal shell. And now he's just that—a shell. Empty and devoid of the spirit that had once so vibrantly made him alive.
This isn't the end, though, not by a long shot. Merlin refuses to leave it at that. There are pieces still inside his friend, fragments of a soul shattered and broken by death and Morgana's vile resurrection, but it's something to work with.
Merlin sits by the cot and reaches out with his magic, wrapping it around the first tattered shard and cradling it in warmth. Merlin soothes the raw edges. It resonates of loneliness, and Merlin takes his memories of their first meeting, of those first founding stones of friendship, and grafts them to the wounded soul.
It leaves the shard vibrating from the trauma, and so Merlin has to stop and let it rest, let it heal. This is a delicate process.
Gaius tells Arthur that Lancelot is in a coma and they won't know anything until—or if—he wakes. He doesn't mention Merlin's nightly vigils where he sits for hours, gingerly weaving the threads of a lost soul back together. And Arthur excuses Merlin's lapse in chores and attentiveness as grief. Lancelot died and then he came back wrong and no one expects a miracle to fix this.
Merlin holds a trembling fragment in the palm of his hand. He can feel the terror and anguish wafting through his mind's eye. This piece remembers Morgana's touch and the glacial poison of dark magic. Merlin suffuses his magic into the shard, his magic which is bright and soft and warm and everything magic should be. Lancelot's soul gradually settles, gradually eases into Merlin's touch and rests in it. Merlin holds him like that for a while, lets him be at peace before the pain of healing must commence once more.
It's a grueling process, both mentally and emotionally, and another reason why it's taking so long. Merlin exhausts himself with each phase and has no choice but to rest between sessions lest he make a mistake. And he cannot make a mistake. His dear friend has been abused enough.
Gwen comes to see him, as do the other knights. There's a mixture of grief for Lancelot and mistrust that it's safe for Merlin to be left alone with him like this. Gaius assures them Morgana's curse is broken.
"Then why won't he wake up?" they ask.
"It's a delicate thing," Gaius says.
The soul begins to take shape. It still has ragged edges and gaps. Merlin stitches together every single thread with memory and love, infusing thoughts of the others and their care for Lancelot as well. The soul recognizes him now, welcomes the touch of his magic. It stirs restlessly, wanting to wake.
Soon, Merlin promises, and uses the strings of his magic to sing it to sleep. And he continues the delicate stitching.
It's a cohesive voice that greets him next time. Merlin.
Merlin smiles through his magic, radiating warmth and brilliance like the sun. Lancelot.
Thank you. I can be at peace now.
The magic undulates with Merlin's shaking head. No, my friend, you can live.
Merlin makes one more pass over the restored soul, checking for any missed seams, any overlooked wounds no matter how small. But Merlin's patience and tenacity has paid off. Lancelot is whole.
Merlin sits by the cot and reaches out to rest a hand over his friend's forehead. He sends an infusion of magic through the mortal body, quickening it to wake.
Lancelot opens his eyes and gazes blearily at the ceiling. After a moment, he then lolls his head toward Merlin and smiles softly. "Thank you."
Merlin smiles too, eyes watering. "Welcome back."