(( This was a possible alternate time line story, packed with references to the actual time line. We're awarding 1000 coins to anyone who can find the most references and mail the list to Gnimish on or before 30th April 07. There's not really a set number of parallels/references, many are open to interpretation, so have at it. ;) ))

The Master Baker With The Crown In The Garret-Room

It wasn?t fair, Mellisandre thought, that she should be ill on the day of the Halloween Party she was supposed to cater and attend. She had put so much work into the Princess costume she was to wear too, even made a little cardboard crown to complete the outfit. All for naught though, as she was stuck in bed, sniffling and sneezing the night away. The pretty costume would have to wait for another year, stuffed away in a box in her little garret-room above the Moosegnobbler Bakery in Hirshberg.

It wasn?t until the next week that she heard the news that a terrible dragon had flown over the party. It had scared a few attendees into running around and screaming, but had departed without any further incident. If only she had known such a sight would have been there to see she would have gone, sick or not!

Not much ever happened in Hirshberg; certainly no dragons ever visited the quiet little town. Which is why it was all the more amazing when Mrs. Moosegnobbler came running in one day all in a tizzy, claiming that the Emperor himself was there paying a visit! To the Moosegnobbler bakery!

The matron had left the door from the counter to the kitchen open in her excitement to greet the Emperor, giving Mellisandre and Rodney a clear view of him. The emperor was far more handsome than she expected, really, and she realized she was staring a bit when his gaze found her. Their eyes met. Mellisandre began to offer up a smile to the handsome Emperor but just at that moment the klutzy Rodney fumbled a tub of marshmallow filling that he was trying to get off the top shelf. The tub popped open and spilled all over the shocked Mellisandre, much to the amusement of the Emperor who couldn?t help but laugh as she fled from the kitchen, cheeks red with embarrassment.

By the time she had cleaned the goopy stuff out of her braids, a task that took some time when done all by herself, the handsome Emperor was already gone. To hear Mrs. Moosegnobbler tell the story the Emperor supposedly just poofed into thin air! With a whole stack of pies, of course. How wonderful that must be, Mellisandre thought, to simply poof wherever one wanted to go! But such were not the dreams for a mere baker?s apprentice.

Mellisandre wasn?t an apprentice for much longer, though. She breezed through the Baker?s Exams and then waited and waited to get the results in the mail. When the results finally did come she hurried to her room to open the envelope alone, which only took her an hour or so of nervousness and hesitation. When she did finally get it open, she smiled happily at the result, passing with flying colors of course. It was already fairly late in the day though, so actually telling anyone would have to wait.

Time passed, the days rolled on, and Mellisandre worked her way toward her dream of owning her very own bakery. She easily passed the Master Baker?s exams and soon moved on to manage the Moosegnobbler bakery. Eventually, and in an unexpected turn of events, the Moosegnobblers decided they were just too old for the bakery business and retired, leaving the entire bakery to their trusted master baker, Mellisandre Gnoffeymel.

The Emperor Mother With The Pie In The Kitchen

Mellisandre headed for the only chair in the now pink nursery. It was just a chair now, she thought with a hint of a smile, and an uncomfortable one at that. The gears and pulleys in the back of the contraption were supposed to gently rock the chair and whoever sat in it back and forth. But like so many contraptions of gnomish engineering, it had never quite worked as intended, and she was glad when it had quit working altogether. Tonight though, even a gentle rocking would probably turn the light headedness that had been bothering her all day into a head ache. And that she certainly could do without.

Mellisandre carefully sat down in the monstrosity of a chair with the pink bundle Empress Carnelia had handed her only moments earlier. The imperial couple had somewhere to be and the new little princess was doing her best to keep her parents from going, so Mellisandre had offered to see her grand daughter to sleep.

She wondered who had placed the two overstuffed pillows on the chair. Perhaps it was one of the court ladies or perhaps even Kuriyama. Her thoughts turned to the old body guard. Time didn?t appear to affect him. In fact, he still looked pretty much exactly the same as he had when she had first seen him all those years ago, while her hair had turned white and a few wrinkles had settled into her features. He had once tried to tell her that was because he was a demon. But he must have been pulling her leg. Demons had horns growing from their foreheads, were stinky, and ugly. Kuriyama was none of that.

Mellisandre shifted in the chair. The luxurious pillows did little to make the chair more comfortable. But it was also the only chair in the now pink nursery, so it would have to do. The nursery was blue once, she thought and found that she missed the soft blue color.

She glanced down to the baby in her lap. The little one was rubbing a tiny fist into one of her eyes, still fighting sleep. The other little fist had found one of Mellisandre?s white braids to hold. Mellisandre was reminded of the lullaby she had heard Gnimish sing to Gnimmerle on occasion when he thought that no one was around to hear and started to softly sing to the little princess.

Sleep, fall asleep
Where the little ones are tall
And the tall ones sometimes small
Into this land my little one
I invite you to come

When she couldn?t remember the words of the next line she hummed softly instead, all the while studying the little face. She looked very much like Gnimmerle had, with the soft dark curls. It was easy to allow the years to melt away and pretend that she was in fact looking at her baby. The features, too, were a lot like Gnimish?s and hers, and maybe also a little like Carnelia?s.

They had been dreaming together about how being grandparents would be all afternoon and talked very little of their times together in the years passed.

Her thoughts drifted right back to that happy afternoon. They had talked of how enjoyable retirement from reigning was and of pies. Gnimish still loved pies and his favorite was still the kind she had first made for him, caramel apple.

They had also talked of trips they wanted to take and planned. But those were not to be. In hindsight she wondered if Gnimish had been sick already then. They had sat very close and he had kept his arm around her the entire time they were eating and both arms after as if to keep her warm. He had started to cough a little that afternoon, too.

It seemed not all that long ago that they nearly despaired that their son would never find someone to love and marry, so that they could enjoy retirement together. Their Gnimmerle had also steadfastedly refused to take over, insisting that could wait until after he was married.

Then, shortly after his fortieth birthday, he had introduced Carnelia to them both as his bride and married her within a year. Mellisandre had liked her right away. The wedding had been beautiful and a lot more fun than hers. The nobles had loosened up over the years and it had never before or after shown as much as during that celebration. Gnimish had looked proud then, too, and nearly as happy as he had looked at their own wedding.

Though Gnimmerle ? she really should start thinking of him as Gnimish Gnimoi the Second instead of as their Gnimmerle, Mellisandre admonished herself ? had been away more time than at home until he brought Carnelia home with him, he did know how to reign. So there had been no point to delay any longer about declaring him the Emperor. Gnimish and her were both getting on in years and had long since been looking forward to that time, when they could put reigning aside and spend the days together as well as the nights. So instead of sending the young people on a honeymoon, Gnimish had taken her on one.

Mellisandre looked up again when she saw movement from the corner of her eye and smiled when she recognized her daughter in law. By the questioning look on her face, wondered if she had said anything. Mellisandre?s hearing these days wasn?t as sharp as it used to be.

?Hmm?? She asked, but before the young woman could repeat her question somewhat louder, Mellisandre put a finger to her lips and lightly shook her head. ?Shhh, no need to wake little Sanderl.?

Apparently that had answered Carnelia?s question, because she already was leaning over and picked the baby from Mellisandre?s lap.