Mares y Luna: The Humble Knight and the Sly Hunter

Fog rolled over the land where strange noises reigned in the early morning. Tired footsteps pressed against the dirt and tiny rocks beneath their feet as they moved down the path toward the village ahead. They were waiting for her, for sure, but they were hiding behind closed windows and locked doors, fearful that the woman they had hired may have failed, or worse yet, had been manipulated by the creatures they feared. And yet, here she was, walking back to the village, holding a moist bag, which she was ready to simply start dragging because she was too tired. 

The small woman, Antoinette, looked at what looked like the outline of the village through that fog and she took a deep breath. Ever since she parted ways with her partner in hopes of finding better jobs and monetary outcomes, she felt as if she had been getting the worse jobs out of the two. In the past two days alone, she had to fight wild animals and the occasional Horde warrior who managed to see her. The warriors she could handle, but the animals were sick, covered in fungi and diseases. That was her line. The worst part was that those animals were not naturally sick, but rather inflicted by someone and their cruel view of magic. Antoinette had dealt with witches before, but these people she found were beyond the magic users she was used to. She fought not only their magic, but the manipulations they cast on others and her as well. But she did was she was paid to do, and at the end of the job, she travelled to a small village where she had rented a room. 

Locking the door, the small woman removed her helmet and released her long pink hair. She shuffled her tired feet to the bed and climbed up on it. Cursing her height, she finally settled in bed and placed her head on the pillow, closing her eyes as the flashbacks rushed back to her. “Damn it,” she muttered, and she opened her eyes once more. She opened her small hand and took the earpiece she was holding on to into her ear. Pushing the button, she called out, “Panther?” 

There was silence for a moment. Antoinette sighed and she covered her eyes with her hand for a moment. Then she heard a man’s voice on the other side, “Monkey?” She smiled widely. She hated that name at the beginning but when he pointed out to her how often she climbed up on him to see over tall spaces, she began to accept it. At least from him alone. 

“Hi, baby,” she said softly. 

“How did it go? You sound tired.”

“Next time, you’re taking the hard jobs.”

He laughed softly. “Hopefully we’ll be working together again soon. Was it that bad?”

“Bad doesn’t even begin to explain everything I saw the past two days. I may go find you after this, France. I do have one more job lined up, but this place is horrid.”

“You can always come home, baby girl.”

“I know. The money’s not too bad, but I’m exhausted. How’s your cousin?”

“Moping as usual. We found a village that needed spiritual guidance, or whatever the hell they want to call it, so he ’s helping for donations. I completed two jobs today, so we’ll be fine when you come back.”

Antoinette chuckled. “Alright. I need to sleep. Sing me a song.”

A chuckle was heard on the other side of the communicator. “You’re safe, you know.”

“Just one song.”

The male voice began to sing a soft lullaby in darnassian. It was enough for Antoinette to close her eyes without fear, and then slowly fall asleep. 

The field was covered in bodies and blood all around him. His fellow soldiers lay perfectly still, like strewn petals of human flesh and bent metal spreading throughout the field. He was horrified, but the sound of demons surrounding him made him rush onward. He would pray for the fallen later. As he ran, his foot got caught on body, causing him to trip and fall onto the ground. A sudden rush of fear overcame him, as if that very ground would wrap its vines around him and claim him, making him one with the rest of the dead. That would have been fear enough, but when he saw a young soldier turn his head and look him straight into his golden eyes, he gasped.

“Heal me…brother. I need the blessed Light. Please…”

He didn’t know whether to help the poor soul or fight to free his feet that were already deep into the ground. “I can’t,” he called out, but his voice didn’t carry as the young man’s body shifted farther and farther back. “I can’t!” He shouted. The field changed and he was alone, staring in the distance at the battlefield and the demons stomping on the dead bodies.

“You can’t because the Light has failed you, my dear,” a slithery voice whispered in his ear. He felt the embrace of demoness’ arms around his body and he felt his body weakening as he fought her seductive powers. He called to the Light for help and his body began to glow brightly, destroying the demoness. In this radiant glory, he turned to the field where he saw all the men and women where were once dead. They were all standing now, their wounds still visible.

“You can help yourself, but you can’t help us?”

Alessandro’s eyes opened widely and he sat up, gasping. It happened every night. The war against the Burning Legion was in the past, but it continued to haunt him. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, wiping the sweat away that had built on his brow. He heard his cot creaking and he swung his legs over the edge, placing his bare feet onto a small rug. He could hear the crickets and the stalking animals; the jungle life around him. With a sigh, Alessandro placed his slippers on and walked to a small table with a water jug. He poured himself a cup and drank, trying to clear his mind of the images he had seen in his dream. They were all real. Every single one of them was real, but they never happened in that particular order. Yes, he did see many people die to demons, but not as many as he dreamed. He was attacked by a succubus, but he managed to offer help after the attack. No, things were not in order in his head. He hated how his mind shifted things and the doubt and feelings accompanying these new scenarios in his head. 

He opened the tent’s passage and looked outside. It was a fairly warm and muggy night in Stranglethorn. He was starting to get used to such an environment, but he didn’t want to get accustomed to it too long for he knew his cousin would be on the move soon. Alessandro turned to the tent beside his and he could hear snoring. With a smile slowly spreading upon his face, he returned to his tent and placed his cup down. He would try to go to sleep, but the nightmare created vivid images in his head. 

Slipping back unto his cot, Alessandro took a deep breath and he placed his hand over his head once he rested himself onto the pillow. “Forgive me,” he whispered with a long exhale, and he squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He felt hollow, empty. Before, he could feel the warmth of the blessed Light around him. Tonight, he felt nothing but the humidity that made his lining clothes stick to his arms and torso.

The white horse trotted along the quite and tree-filled Elwynn forest while its rider observed carefully for any impending dangers. It was the same path that the horse had taken over and over to get to its final destination. Meanwhile, the rider sat tall with a blue cloak over his left shoulder, the Stormwind sigil covering his body. Beneath that cloak, he wore a simple linen taupe outfit. He wasn’t incredibly dressed for a Winter Veil dinner, but then again, no one expected him to be. 

He and his horse approached the farm house close to the river’s edge. Two children ran out past the pumpkin patches and toward the gate. “Uncle! Uncle Alex! Come on!”

Alessandro Mares smiled, his brown hair a mess, as usual. He waved at his niece and nephew and as he approached the gate, he slipped off his horse. “My loves!” He knelt and the children ran toward him, hugging him tightly. “Go tell your momma that I’m here.” He saw the children running toward the home while he moved his horse toward the barn. He escorted the mare to a stall and he closed it. “There you go, girl. Enjoy your night.” With a gentle pat, Alessandro walked out of the barn and toward the home. Upon entering, he heard a woman calling his name.

“Alex! It is you! Ay, these kids! They kept saying ‘guess who’s here!’ Over and over!” Lucrezia, or Lucy, as Alessandro called his sister, ran over and hugged her younger brother. “You look skinny. This is what happens when you don’t come visit us often. Francesc told us you parted ways! Where did you go? Ay, Alex.” She shook her head and walked into the kitchen. “Francesc told you what?” Alessandro called out as he followed his sister. “I told her you just walked away from us one day and went off on your own damn path,” a man responded from the kitchen table. He leaned on his arm as he looked up at Alessandro. “And we didn’t hear from you. At all.”

“Francesc, I didn’t….”

“You didn’t want us to follow you? Or know what you were doing? You could have gotten killed out there,” the gnomish woman said from the table. Alessandro turned and sighed. 

“I’m not dead, Antoinette, am I? I’m here.”

“Enough with this dead talk. It’s Winter Veil and we will be happy. We’re all here. You three can catch up later. Help me set the table.” Lucrezia pointed at the plates and silverware on the table and the three of them picked up something and walked into the other room.

As they set the table, Mark, Lucrezia’s husband, walked into the room. “Alex! There you are. Hey, France, he’s there.” Mark laughed and Francesc rolled his eyes. Antoinette giggled and as soon as Mark walked into the kitchen, Francesc looked at Alessandro.

“You could have been killed. The Syndicate was questioning us.”

“I told you not to deal with them,” Alessandro whispered back.

“Well, thanks to Toni here, we dodged that bullet. And sword. And dagger.” Francesc sighed. “Yeah, thanks to me. And thanks to me, I have another meeting with someone who may be some help.” Antoinette smiled and placed the napkins on the table. “What did you do, Toni?” Alessandro murmured. “I am not going to be part of any other deal. I was thinking of going back to Stormwind and ask the Cathedral to be reinstated.”

“Perfect!” Francesc said, placing the last plate down. “The next meeting is in Stormwind. We’re meeting with the infamous Evan Fox.” Alesandro stared at them both. “You know, the great Stormwind philanthropist? That one should interest you, huh?”

“Rumors have it that it’s all a front,” Alessandro said. 

“Well, it must be a good one because the city loves him.”

“Loves who?” Lucrezia said, bringing the food into the dining room.

“No one,” Alessandro said quickly.

“Evan Fox,” Antoinette said.

“Fox? He helped with that farm two miles down when the bandits attacked. I hear he’s done wonders for Stormwind. Kids!” She called out and went into the back rooms. 

“See?” Antointte said with a smile. “It will be great. Let’s meet with him and if you decide that no, he’s not gonna need our help, then you can go back to being a man of the blessed Light.”

Francesc chuckled, “He never stopped. He visited every holy man and woman he could find while we were out there.”

Alessandro sighed. He walked to the couch and removed his cloak, folding it carefully over the couch. He smiled when the children ran in and he reached out to Lucrezia as she walked in with baby Gerardo. 

“Sit down. Alex is going to say a few words.” They sat around the table and turned to look at Alessandro, who still held the baby in his arms. 

“Um… Blessed Light, protect us as we enjoy this joyful gathering. We ask for your guidance and warmth on this day and the days to come. Blessed be.” He opened his golden eyes and noticed a soft trail of light in his family members as they held hands. He sighed in relief. The blessed Light was still within him.

Lucrezia opened her eyes in time to see the faint gold in her brother’s eyes fading away. She smiled and reached for the child. “You should go back to the church, Alex. It suits you.”

Alessandro Mares - Human Paladin. Known as The Humble Knight.

Hi! It’s been a while, huh? I don’t know who follows me anymore or not, but I will be planning a brief series of stories for Alessandro and his cousin Francesc. Francesc’s blog has been blocked since that whole lockdown thing and I cannot get it opened, so I’m going to move important information here and delete the other one. I’m also changing the name of this blog to reflect the cousins and their adventures. I hope that you enjoy this small journey I’m about to send the humble knight on. I will be cross-referencing my other blog and storyline with the Rat King, so stay tuned! 

The humble knight walked down the streets of Stormwind, smiling and greeting the people he met along the way. There was something comforting about being on patrol in the city rather than being out on the battlefield. He crossed the bridge over the canal and he heard a small voice calling out to him. 

“Hello, cousin!”

Alessandro paused and turned to look at see a gnome sitting on the bridge. Her brown hair was up in a ponytail and her little legs were dangling off the edge. She smiled, a small twinkle in her blue eyes. She waved her small hand and chuckled.

“Tonie. What are you doing here?” the knight asked as he approached her. The gnome reached out and hugged Alessandro tightly. 

“Wow, look at you? All armored up!” She giggled and sat back down. “I’m in town, cousin! Stopped by for a few supplies and I was hoping to run into you.”

Alessandro smiled and asked, “And why?” Although he knew the answer to that question.

The gnome smiled and asked, “How is he doing?”

“Fransesc is doing well, last I saw him. He came to eat with us several weeks ago and just like that, he left.” Alessandro leaned against the bridge and he looked at the people passing by. Nodding at them, he asked, “You still have a thing for my cousin?”

Tonie laughed and threw her small arms into the air. “Alex, your cousin has a thing for me!” Alessandro laughed softly and Tonie nodded. “How can I say no to Franse? He is so cute. He has these ears that are so adorable. Almost like little elf ears!” She giggled and looked away as if she were watching out. 

“Well, he’s out there somewhere. You would know better than me.” He turned to look at Tonie and he smiled. “You staying here?”

Shaking her head, Toni responded, “Nah. Too many tall humans around here.” 

Alessandro smiled and shook his head. “You can stay at my place.”

“Ooh, is that an invitation?” The gnome giggled and fluttered her eyelashes at him. 

“Just to stay, Tonie.” He smirked at the face the gnome made. “Just until you find a place somewhere. Then maybe we can find my cousin.”

“I would like that. Thank you, Alex.” Alessandro patted Tonie’s shoulder and he moved away from where she was seated. 

“I’m still in the apartment in Old Town. I get off in an hour. I’ll see you there.” He bowed waved at the gnome. 

Your Result: Rain & Daisies

79%

result

You are the kind of person who embraces life. As well as smelling of rain, you are the kind of person who would dance in the rain. You are not necessarily earthy or naturey but you appreciate small deeds, are friendly and creative. At times you are spontaneous, and you are unique. Overall, you are very likeable and close to your friends and family. You will be successful and enjoy a long, happy life filled with the people you love.

“Let it go, Alex...”

For many years after his mother passed away, Alessandro has learned that some things need to be let go, such as the resentment toward those who have harmed him or his loved ones. His mother was a casualty of a random act of violence and Alessandro wanted revenge for his mother’s injuries, but before passing, his mother told him that he must forgive the man who did this to her. Ever since then, he has learned that no matter how much he has been hurt, he must forgive in order to move on. 

A cool breeze rustled the treetops in Elwynn, a sort of whispered hush that dared to disrupt the sleepy morning hours. The horse’s trots emerged from that hushing sound and it traveled down the road from Stormwind toward the farmlands by the river. The horse moved confidently, familiar with the road it walked on. Its rider, however, was not.

Alessandro wrapped his tattered blue cloak around him, his demeanor rather down, his hands trembling as he grabbed the reins tightly. He had been back from the battlefields for two weeks, but this was the first time he was going to see his sister. She still believed that he was still out fighting, but she would be surprised today. 

He arrived at the farm and he led his horse into a pen in the barn. The animals in the barn moved a bit, recognizing the familiar man. Then, he made his trek to the family home, where he saw the flowers outside blooming and the pinwheels spinning gently. Bells tinkled in the breeze and Alessandro slowly walked up to the steps, each step causing him more anxiety. It was suddenly difficult to breathe and he gripped at the cloak at his chest and a hand leaned against the door frame.

He could hear the groans of men and the cries of many who had seen their fellow brothers at arms fall. He could hear the King calling them back and the crashing barrels of blight that spread the burning fumes and ooze throughout the land. He could smell the rancid stench of death and he could see the eyes of deceased fighters staring at him as they rose from the green-tainted ground. Alessandro gasped for breath, his eyes shut tightly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

“Alex?”

“My father has always had a stronger affinity with the Light. My mother was a wanderer with her family. She would go hunting with a companion and while they were not religious, they still respected life and the spirit of life. My father, however, was raised on a farm in Westfall and when things were hard, they only had the Light to turn to and themselves. When my mother met my father, she liked the simplicity of his life and the stability of farm living. She learned to appreciate the Light and admire for it helped them in so many ways. 

“When I was accepted to train as a paladin, my mother was so proud, she told me to do the right thing and always help others. My sister and I grew up that way and it kinda spread to our other family members since they saw how wonderful our lives were under the blessed Light.” 

“When I was nine, a drought hit the land and my family suffered for a few months. We lived off the land and when crops don’t grow, no one eats, not even the animals, so our animals suffered. That summer, I had seen my father put down three of our animals: a pig and two sheep because they were growing sick. I remember seeing my father in his chair in the living room, with his eyes closed, and praying silently, his lips moving as he took deep breaths. I didn’t say a word and watched him as he continued his meditation. When he opened his eyes, he saw me and said, ‘My son, I pray for the animals that will die today.  We must never take for granted their lives and their existence.’

“He held gestured for me to sit on his lap and I did, hugging my father as he wrapped his arm around me. He leaned his head on mine and took a deep breath. ‘These are hard times, but tomorrow is another day and it could posisbly be a better day.’ I nodded and he told me to accompany him to the barn and the pens. I saw him when he shot the animals. He told me that it was okay to cry and that we could mourn for a few moments, but then we had to dispose of the animals and move on with our lives. 

“And we did. I learned that all animals have a right to exist and to live. This is their world too. My father was a religious man. He believed in the blessed Light and he believed that the Light was for everyone and everything, not just humans and others. I have taken that lesson to heart.”

NAME: Sir Alessandro Mares

CLASS: Middle

AGE: 38

RACE: Human

GENDER: Male

SEXUALITY: Heterosexual

MARITAL STATUS: Single

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Taken

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

HAIR:  Brown

EYES: Golden-brown

HEIGHT: 5′11′‘

BUILD: medium built, fit

DISTINGUISHING MARKS: scarred hands, scared leg, scarred Horde mark on his back (not noticeable by anyone)

COMMON ACCESSORIES: Royal blue cloak/cape with the Alliance lion, wooden prayer beads, hymn book

PERSONAL

PROFESSION: Paladin-Knight, Clergy 

INCOME SOURCE: From working as a guard, military, and clergy

HOBBIES: Reading, playing the guitar, volunteering and visiting the tent cities in Westfall and the orphanages in Stormwind and Ironforge

LANGUAGES: Common, a little Thalassian

RESIDENCE: A small apartment in Old Town.

RELIGION: The Light

FEARS: Not being able to help others, being unable to do anything, losing his family and loved ones, losing his faith and religion

RELATIONSHIPS

SPOUSE: None

CHILDREN: None

PARENTS: Father - deceased, Mother - deceased

SIBLINGS: Sister - Lucrezia Williams

OTHER RELATIVES: Mark Williams (brother-in-law), Anton Williams (nephew), Brianna Williams (niece)

FRIENDS: Elena Lambourne, Gabrielli Carlo

PETS:  A dog

TRAITS

extroverted / introverted / in between

disorganized / organized / in between

close-minded / open-minded / in between

calm / anxious / in between

reckless / cautious / in between

patient / impatient / in between

outspoken / reserved / in between

disagreeable / agreeable / in between

empathetic / unemphatic / in between

faithful / unfaithful / in between

optimistic / pessimistic / in between

traditional / modern / in between

hard-working / lazy / in between

———–  

SMOKING: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

DRUGS: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

ALCOHOL: never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / to excess

QUIRKS

Alessandro will dress in the most simply attire he can find. He doesn’t find it necessary to brag.

He will always be wearing his blue cloak/cape over his left shoulder. 

He’s iffy about Horde and people who associate with the Horde.

WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR

Friends, allies, fellow knights, paladins, soldiers of the Alliance. OOC- I’m looking for people who are willing to be patient with my writing. Real life comes first and sometimes I do not have a chance to sit down and write. 

WHAT I AM NOT LOOKING FOR

Romance rp, severe trouble (antagonistic rp is ok). OOC - Feel free to talk to me if there is a problem or if you want to be a villain to my character. We can talk about it :)

Alessandro was humming to himself when he was cleaning his apartment. It was just another Sunday and he had made it a point to go out tomorrow to see his sister, so cleaning was good enough for the day. Out of nowhere, he heard a scream outside.

“Watch out!”

The knight stopped and stared at the door. He knew there were going to be undead outside his door. Undead colleagues covered in blight, returning from death to blame him for their loss of lives. Alessandro moved away from the door and crouched into a corner, shaking his head. It was happening all over again.