Hello everyone! Being today the long awaited day of Hannibal's Season Finale (omgomgomgomgomg) I decided to get to work on something a little different than the usual hannigram fic :) so here it is, a crossover of Hannibal and King Arthur (if you haven't watched the movie yet make sure to check it out!), since our lovely Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy star in them both :)

This chapter is rather introductive (Hannibal doesn't appear yet, he's off cooking someone I guess), so don't be discouraged as there's totally going to be some Hannigram later on ;)

Note: I highly recommend the Director's Cut version of the movie, it's longer and more enjoyable than the basic one :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything and blablabla.

As usual, reviews and critics are much much much appreciated :)

Enjoy :D

He touched with the tips of his fingers the helm hanging over the grave, caressing it lightly, saying his last goodbye.

"I'll see you in another life" he whispered, closing his eyes, his words getting lost in the east wind.

Will woke up abruptly, breathing heavily, sheets and nightclothes damp from his sweat. This was a dream like none he had ever had. No stags, no dead bodies, nothing of such. All he could remember was this enormous crowd, him being a part of it, all standing around a burning pyre and a few burial mounds, the flames dancing in the wind. Everyone in the crowd wasn't muttering a word, keeping a reverential silence, all watching the three figures standing in the circle they had formed, close to the edge of the cliff. Everyone's eyes were concentrated on them, everyone's but his, who couldn't help but stare at the grave with the helm hanging over it, feeling the loss of the friend buried there, grieving it.

He sat up, drying the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand, the feeling from the dream still lingering under his skin. The led of the alarm clock claimed it was still 4.27am, too early to get up, but even if he felt exhausted he knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again.

Will let himself fall again on the mattress, his face buried in his hands, lost in his thoughts. Immediately he pulled the hands back, frowning as he noticed that they were wet. He fingered his cheek again, seeing a drop shining on his fingertips. He hadn't realized he had cried during the dream. That was a first.

He rolled on the side and closed his eyes again, trying to get rid of the dull pain he felt inside.

The next few days his empathic abilities were requested on the field, not leaving him much time to think about the dream at all, let alone having any other, since he didn't manage to get much sleep. In the end the memory of it just slipped away: it was just a dream, a rather strange one to be honest, but nothing worth sweating.

It was late afternoon and, as his lecture ended, Will dismissed the class and started gathering his things, carefully avoiding everyone's eyes even though a few trainees would have loved to spare a few words with this enigmatic, shabby but strangely attractive teacher.

Giving his back to the entrance, he continued rummaging with his stuff, trying to pay attention to every sound, waiting for the silence to come, sign that he was finally alone. When he could finally hear his breaths echoing in the empty lecture hall, he let out an exhausted sigh. He had been feeling tired for days, almost like his mind tended to go somewhere else and he had a hard time keeping it in place, in the present, where he needed it to be, where it was requested to be.

"A-hem." Will turned around at the sound of someone clearing his throat, and saw Alana standing in the entrance, arms crossed, a gentle smile softening her features.

"Hey, Alana" he said, returning to his stuff, suddenly feeling like leaving. Their relationship had been strange lately, after that kiss, with her constantly giving off mixed signals, longing for his company and pushing him away at the same time. On his side, he couldn't blame her for not wanting anything more despite their mutual attraction, with him being so unstable. Will couldn't even manage to get his own life straight, how was he supposed to be in a relationship? That said, he found it easier to just avoid her, finding the situation stressful and very confusing. Still, Alana tried to be as friendly as she could, trying to be of some support to him.

"I overheard some of your female students talking. You seem to be a real lady-killer" she said, walking up to him. He chuckled, finding the mechanisms of social interaction rather amusing: his elusive behavior, born from his discomfort to people's closeness, was somehow perceived as mysterious and fascinating. He didn't mean to be attractive in any way, he acted like that with the genuine purpose of avoiding unnecessary conversations and unrequested proximity.

"Well, if they got to know me they wouldn't find me that interesting" Will said, simply stating what he thought to be the truth.

"I bet on the opposite: if you'd let other people get close, they wouldn't leave you alone anymore." Alana smiled, trying to cheer him on, but only getting a tiny smirk from him, who still didn't look at her.

After a brief silence, as he was done collecting all his belongings, Will couldn't avoid her gaze anymore, so he just faced her, leaning on the edge of his desk. She kept her glance fixed on his face, making him feel a bit uneasy, his frowned expression never leaving his features.

"How have you been lately?" she asked, her concern transpiring in her voice. He sighed, not really wanting to answer that question, knowing that whatever he said would only make her worry more. Taking a moment, he tried to find something to tell her that wouldn't make him sound like some mentally ill, then the thought occurred him.

"I've had a strange dream a few nights ago. No blood, no corpses, no nightmares whatsoever. It was just a normal dream…even if a strange one."

"I guess it's a good change, for once. Don't you think?" Alana looked at him, sounding encouraging, trying to get a smile from him. Will just nodded, looking at his feet, pondering if it would have been better to talk this matter with Doctor Lecter instead of her, given her tendency to act deliberately cautious with him, being overprotective and not really objective.

"Is this your happy face?" she asked after a while, poking him with a playful smile.

Is this your happy face?

What was that? Will stared hard at her, eyes wide, startled, not knowing where that voice had come from. It was like those words had pulled a string inside of him, triggering some memory long buried in his subconscious, something familiar but not within his grasp.

Alana noticed that her words, instead of cracking a smile, made his frown deepen, his expression alarmed.

"What is it?" she asked, her lips contracted out of worry. The question seemed to snap Will out of it, who shook his head a little, eyeing all around him, like he needed to realize where they were.

"Will?" she called him again, cupping both his cheeks with her hands, trying to get him to focus his gaze on her, for he had seemed lost for a moment. He finally looked at her, his expression nervous both for the touch and the thoughts that occupied his mind.

"I'm fine" he said, looking tired, rubbing his eyes after having taken his glasses off. Alana let him go after a few seconds, still eyeing him warily.

"You should go home, Will. You look exhausted."

"I didn't get much sleep lately, with the last case and stuff" he answered, putting his glasses back on, now rubbing his forehead.

"You know you can count on me, if you ever feel like having company" she said, her gaze never leaving his face. Will knew she didn't mean it in a romantic way, but since he felt attracted to her, he knew he wouldn't call her anyway. He'd rather call someone who wouldn't treat him like a yoyo, pulling him closer and pushing him away like she did.

Not wanting to make her feel bad though, Will smiled weakly, acting like taking up her offer. "I know" he answered.

She raised her hand to caress him again, making him feel even more eager to leave, for the situation between them was confused enough the way it was, even without the physical contact she always seemed to look for. As soon as her hand reached his cheek, he pulled away, trying not to look like he was avoiding her touch, although doing exactly so.

"Bye, Alana" he muttered as he grabbed his case and moved past her, heading to the exit, leaving her in the empty lecture hall. He felt a little bad acting like that, but he couldn't help it. The way she acted towards him didn't actually help him feel more stable, given that it was the reason why she didn't want to deepen their relationship: her behavior was actually being counterproductive, and bad for him.

Had she realized that? Will didn't think so, otherwise she wouldn't keep on acting that way. If she had, it would all be kind of sadistic of her, and he didn't think her capable of such. Pacing across the parking lot lost in his thoughts, Will reached his car, got in and started the engine. He drove absent-mindedly all the way to his house, reviving their meeting in his head, wondering.

As he got home, his head was aching. Thinking too much about a solution-less matter wasn't going to take him anywhere near solving it, so he better let it go, at least for now. His dogs greeted him as usual as he entered, and he patted them all before laying on his bed still fully clothed, eyes closed, his hands tiredly rubbing his face.

Is this your happy face?

The words echoed in his ears as he drifted to sleep.