Nick followed the guards until they entered a magnificent, elegant room exquisitely adorned with jewels and flowers. The Queen's quarters was ravishing. Every piece of furniture looked magnificent. Nick stared in awe until the guards scorned him into submission. He then quietly awaited the Queen, feeling less pressured after escaping all the stares of the guests.
Nick did not know how long it was until the Queen finally made her way back to her quarters. He silently prayed that she would not torture him until his death. The Queen entered, her stride radiating with elegance and poise. As she walked towards him, she motioned for the guards to leave. They walk outside her room and stood guard. The Queen smiled at Nick, giving him goose bumps.
"You never once answered my question," Queen Feya started. Nick looked at her questioningly.
The Queen laughed at his boldness, finding his spontaneity attractive. "What do you know how to do? How do you plan to entertain me?"
What do you want me to do, Nick thought. "I . . . um . . . can sing, dance, cook . . . um." Nick strained to think of anything else, but his mind was clouded from anxiety.
"That's not necessary," the Queen abruptly replied, her voice dominating and demanding. "All you need to know is how to be obedient, how to please me and how to make me happy," she said rather ambiguously. "I am not unreasonable with those that I like, provided that they give me a reason to like them." She looked straight into Nick's face. At that moment, he understood her perfectly. He knew that his life was spared. The Queen did have an attraction for him.
Nick remained silent for a while when the Queen broke into his reverie. "Tell me about yourself." Nick tensed. He might put his family in danger if he revealed too much.
"Umm, I'm a singer. I started from when I was 13 years old," he whispered.
"Yes, I thought your name was familiar. You're from the Backstreet group, aren't you?" she stated.
"Umm, yes," Nick replied uneasily.
The Queen sensed his discomfort. She laughed, "No need to be afraid. I won't hurt them, as long as you be good!" That didn't help Nick feel any more comforted than before, but he smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm bored now. Let's play chess. Do you know how to play?" the Queen asked him.
Nick shook his head. "No."
"All right, I'll have to teach you from the start," the Queen grabbed Nick's arms and pulled him towards her desk. Nick was shocked by her actions but willingly gave in to her. He followed her to a beautiful and clean desk. Quickly, she drew out a box and placed an elegant chess set in front of him. "It's an ancient game, but it's very interesting and mind-boggling," she tried to explain. She drew out elegant carved chess pieces made of some kind of dazzling rock. "And," she continued, "It tests your focus and concentration."
Throughout the night, the Queen eagerly taught Nick to play. It was an innocent meeting between the two. The suitors and ambassadors would have thought otherwise though, but in actuality, Nick and Queen Feya spent the whole night playing chess until the sun once again rose to a new day. Amazingly, both Nick and the Queen were not tired. Nick remained quiet, but the Queen didn't mind. She liked the fact that he didn't talk too much.
They played only two games, for after the first game, which the Queen won in 30 minutes, Nick wised up and gave the Queen competition. The 2nd games lasted over 4 hours, which delighted the Queen. She did not even realize that dawn had set and that she had to give a speech in a few hours. When she looked at the time, she realized how much time she spent with Nick.
"You need a room, a permanent one, but I do not want you to be too far from where I stay. I will give you a room across from one of my closer personal assistants, but you are not to talk with anyone. You will quickly learn the procedures in this palace. These first few weeks you will spend learning your place. Since you are only a gift, I cannot give you a rank. You are to be one of my personal servants."
Nick nodded his head, not really understanding what was going to happen to him. "Yes, I understand."
Queen Feya smiled sweetly. "You need not be present in the Great Hall today. I will only be greeting the ambassadors and suitors before they leave. Just stay in your room. I will call for you when I need you present, okay?"
Nick nodded. He didn't have a say in anything so might as well be agreeable. "Okay."
With that the Queen smiled, called her guards in, and told them to find Nick a nice room. Soon, Nick was whisked away and the Queen began to get ready for the last day of her birthday celebration.