Okay so this is intended to be a series of interrelated snippets revolving around Jill gaining reign over Talrega. Yes I know Micaiah ceded it to her so she'd actually be more like a "queen" but being Talrega isn't much of anything I thought it more appropriate that Jill be made Duchess whereas she would have control over her territory but ultimately still have to answer to that crazy Micaiah. Which may or may not actually come into play in this story. And I should also note that this story really isn't all that serious. It's actually pretty silly.

FYI:

Setting: Talrega (Daein, Tellius) Post-Radiant Dawn

Characters: Just Jill and Haar in this one

Disclaimer: All characters/settings/whatever is mentioned pretty much belongs to Nintendo and those nice people who made the game

Duchess Jill #01: The Secret

Jill pushed open the door as quietly as she could manage with her free hand, allowing no more than a low barely audible creak to emit from the hinges. She peered through the opening into the dark room, waiting for her eyes to adjust. Detecting no signs of life, she proceeded to enter into the house. Her feet, clad only in socks, padded softly on the wood floor as she had removed her boots outside and left them on the doorstep. Silence was the key. She needed only to get down the hallway undetected, and then she would be in the clear. She took a deep breath and clutched the dark cloth that occupied her hand tightly to her chest and slowly—very slowly—began to push the door shut behind her with her other hand. She heard the faint click and let out her breath. It seemed as though she would be successful—and then it hit her. The house was completely silent. There was no snor—

"Hey."

Jill froze at the sound of the voice. She told herself not to panic. She had to think quickly—a dim light engulfed the room. A lantern had been lit. She reached back and nervously scratched the back of her neck under her ponytail as she was stared down by a rather intimidating man with an eyepatch. "Oh, Uh…Hello Haar," she responded with a sheepish smile. "I…um….thought you were asleep. Heh …heh."

"Hmmm…"His lazy eye looked her over. "What's that?"

Jill drew in a sharp breath and quickly pulled her arm holding the dark cloth behind her back. "Wh-what's what? I'm the only one here." She looked around as if expecting someone to be standing next to or behind her.

Haar folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his brow, clearly not amused. "I can see that. But what is it that you're holding?"

Jill's felt her face flush "What?! I don't have anything!" She backed against the door. He moved closer to her and she realized she had no way of escaping.

"Now Jill, I know your father didn't raise you to be a liar, "He scolded as he closed the space between them. Jill couldn't tell if his tone was serious or mocking—she never could tell. He placed a hand on the door next to her head and leaned in so he was staring her directly in the eye. She bit her lip and pressed her back against the door as flat as she possibly could. Her cheeks flushed even more—he was awfully close. And then his lips twitched and twisted into a wicked smirk. "AHA!" He yelled as he yanked the cloth from behind her.

"No!!!" Jill screamed and reached for it, but it was too late. He had already maneuvered out of the way and she stumbled nearly falling to the floor. Haar began to unfold the cloth curiously. Jill ran up to him and tried to take it back, but he kept moving his back to her so she couldn't reach it. "NO! GIVE IT BACK! GIVE IT BACK!" Jill screeched desperately, grabbing his arm and shaking it.

"What the…?"

Jill felt her heart sink. He had seen it. It was too late—she was done for. The embarrassment was too much for her to bear. She looked down at her feet, defeated.

"It's a dress." Haar held up the dark cloth. Sure enough it was knee-length halter-type dress fringed with lace and a frilly sash with a rose décor. He looked at her quizzically. "Why…?"

Jill sighed. There was no use in hiding it anymore. It was bound to get out eventually. She averted her eyes, choosing to stare at a blemish on wood floor as she answered, "Well…my coronation as Duchess of Talrega is next week and since it's a formal event Queen Micaiah insists I wear a dress. So…so I bought one." She waited for him to say something, anything really, but he remained silent. She looked up at him, fire in her eyes. "It wasn't my idea and I didn't really have a choice so don't make fun of me!"

Haar's eye widened with astonishment, "Huh? Why would I…?"

"GIVE ME THAT!" Jill snatched the dress from his hands and wadded it up under her arm. He stared at her blankly. This only seemed to anger her more. "I am a lady in case you haven't noticed! And it is perfectly acceptable for a lady to wear a dress!" she growled. Haar continued to stare at her, completely dumbfounded. "Good day to you. Hmph!" she turned her nose up to him as she walked past.

"…" Haar watched her strut down the hallway to her room and slam the door. He looked around, wondering what exactly had just taken place. He had just wanted to know why she was sneaking in. It wasn't like he really cared what she was doing in the late hours of the night, it just seemed weird she felt the need to be all secretive about…a dress? He took one last look at her door before settling down on the floor against the wall. "YAWN…whatever, I'm going back to sleep. ZzzZzz"