Disclaimer: I don't own NBC's "Hannibal" or Jerry Bruckheimer's "King Arthur," wishful thinking aside.
Authors Note #1: This is an AU/reincarnation fiction involving "Hannibal" and the movie "King Arthur," specially revolving around a romantic relationship between Hannibal (who is the reincarnation of Tristan) and Will Graham (who is the reincarnation of Galahad). This story was made possible by the following prompt on the Hannibal kinkmeme: "King Arthur and his knights were reborn to complete one last great mission. Arthur, who remembers his past life, starts tracking down and 'reminding' his knights, who don't remember, who they are. He finds each one in their respective lives and slowly bringing them back to themselves. Now he has all his knights but one. Galahad is still missing. But finally the knights have managed to track Galahad down and discovered that he is an FBI specialist called Will Graham. Realising that he is of a difficult mental state, they decide to send in the one knight Galahad always trusted, his lover Tristan, who works to get close under the name of Hannibal Lecter. Slowly, Hannibal/Tristan uses his time with Will to try and bring Galahad back to them. So really just a story where the knights come looking for Will who they believe is really Galahad. And Hannibal is really their scout. Bonus: Tristan/Hannibal is still a cannibal. In their past life, food could be difficult to find and eating a dead human was a good way to survive. The others know but don't think anything of it.
Warnings: Contains spoilers for the movie, and just to be safe, all of Hannibal, season one. Contains adult language, canon appropriate violence, gore, murder, emotional manipulation, implied cannibalism and mature content.
Rinascere
Chapter One
Prologue
The earliest memory a child has is often uniform with the memories of its peers, like the curve of their mother's face or the rough brogue of a father's laugh. The fragments are general, simplistic, confined to basic shapes and singular flashes of a long forgotten memory - yet they are as ingrained into one's conscious mind as the lungs are to breathing.
He knew from a young age that he was the exception. For it was not his mother's face that he recalled, but a collection of musical notes. The original composition was a mystery to him. It was elusive, slippery, muffled - and had a tendency to devolve into static when he pushed too hard. It unraveled around him like an elegant tapestry whenever he took a carpet whip to the thin layer of dust that separated him from the true richness of its design.
It didn't matter how many hours he spent rifling through his thoughts, prodding his unconscious, sifting through memories best left undisturbed. He could never completely grasp it. It had gained notes as he'd matured, growing and shifting until musical tones and dramatic pauses had turned into words, a single line, then finally, a chorus. That was all he had, the chorus of a song that, despite his best efforts, appeared not to exist.
It was a song about longing, longing for the mountains, the wide grassy plains, and a long awaited home-coming. It was about a far flung place that existed more in the singer's heart than in her memory. For it was a woman singing, he knew that much. A woman with a voice that was not perfect, but enchanting, alluring. And dare he say, familiar.
And for some reason, it was soothing in a way that the memories of his parents, his Uncle, his sister – yes, even his beloved Mischa had never been.
It was as familiar as the taste of warm blood scorching across his tongue, trickling, velvet and sweet – yet he'd lived more than half his life bereft of the reason why.
A/N #2: Thank you for reading. I realize this type of a crossover is something of a rarity so please let me know what you think! Reviews and constructive critiquing are love! – I realize this chapter was very, very short, but this is more of a prologue than anything else. The next chapter should be up soon!
Reference: The title of this work is the Italian verb "Rinascere" – meaning 'to be reborn,' 'born again,' or 'to revive.'
"Land of bear and land of eagle, land that gave us birth and blessing, land that called us ever homewards. We will go home across the mountains. We will go home, we will go home. We will go home across the mountains. We will go home, we will go home. We will go home across the mountains." – King Arthur soundtrack (from the song featured in the movie "Song of Exile.")