The giggling and gossip of the women and girls filled the room as they listened to her every word.
Lady Shella Whent told them the stories the elders had told her when she was young while keeping a close eye on their work.
It was an invasion, and she should be frightened by their presence, but she wasn't able to. How could she feel afraid when she has the eyes of ladies waiting for her guidance?
The sounds of children running followed by the footsteps of their caretakers echoed through the once-silent halls.
For the first time in years, men stood guard over the walls and were doing their best to fix what they of her ruined home.
The day of their arrival was just like any other day, it was slow.
She and her servant were cleaning one of the rooms when the only knight in the castle ran to her, his face showed the fear that he was trying to hide, between gasps, he told her of what he had seen.
There were strangers at the gate, each of them wore the emblem of a house whom he didn't recognize and advised her to run while she had the chance.
She was no fool she had no allies or army and if she did it would take days for them to arrive. So she took his advice and left through the kitchen window.
Perhaps it was bad luck or fate but she didn't get far when a group of heavily armed knights found her and asked to be allowed to stay.
They offered to pay what she asked, as long as they didn't have to kill or die for some lord who cared nothing for them or that they would be forced to sleep with anyone that they didn't want to.
She agreed, as long as they helped fix her home and paid whatever taxes the crown and lords demanded.
It was a ridiculous demand, and she knew that she would die there but at the very least she had tried to look as if she had some dignity.
To her surprise, they agreed and before she knew it the castle was full of people.
While there were some elders most were young men and women but even they were outnumbered by the children they had brought with them.
Son the granaries and pantries were filled with so much food that they had no choice but to fill the empty rooms with them.
The cellars became places where strange stones and potions were kept and even the dust-covered armory was clean and filled with armors so splendid that one would think they belonged to royalty.
Her heart nearly stopped when she found the treasury filled with so much coin that no one would have laughed at her if she said that a mountain of gold had risen.
Jewelry of all kinds was presented to her along with silks and fine cloth.
The strangers had even brought beasts with them, some larger than what she had seen before and others so strange that she blinked whenever she laid eyes on them.
She expected them to lay claim to her home or act as if her presence didn't matter, but they never did.
It had taken months for her to realize that she was Lady Shella Whent.
Her name was no longer meaningless, she was now a Lady whose words were like orders to the knights, and while they didn't swear loyalty to her, they still followed her orders.
She was brought out of her memory by the cook who told her that the food was ready.
The man washer's only other servant, he had been loyal to her husband before he died. She could see the combination of pride and exhaustion that the man had.
Having to cook for so many mouths was tiring, but the man proudly watched as everyone ate their fill. She could even swear that he lifted his chest whenever one of the girls asked for his guidance on how to cook grill or bake something.
"Lady Whent" Kirito a young man whose eyes and hair were as dark as the clothes he wore, says to her while raising his glass.
"I'm proud to tell you ma'am that we finished repairing the lower section of the east wall and with your permission, we would like to start fixing the next part." he says to her.
She feels the eyes of everyone on her but she has gotten used to it and nods in approval.
The room fills with cheers and before she knows it she finds herself smiling and joining the celebration. She didn't know why they were happy to keep working, but they were happy and that was all that mattered.
Unfortunately, the sound of the doors being slammed open stopped the celebration and everyone's eyes turned to the man who marched with knights at his side.
"Lady Shella Whent, the crown has heard of your good fortune and while the king is happy to hear that you managed to revive your house, he is troubled that you haven't told him."
Petyr Baelish or Littlefinger, the Kings Master of Coin stood proudly before her, the man walked up to her unopposed and handed her a scroll that was wax-sealed with the king's emblem.
She paled when she opened the scroll and found a bill showing how much debt had piled up over the years.
By the Gods, they were even charging her for not informing the crown about the strangers and even added more for every day they had been living with her.
"May I' Heathcliff one of the leaders of the knights says to her before telling her that it was time.
"Will you be taking it or do we have to take it for you?" Heathcliff asks the Master of Coin.
Shella Whent couldn't help but smile as she watched the man's smile vanish before answering that he bought plenty of guards and carts to carry what was owed.
Her heart broke as she watched the chests and sacks full of gold be carried away and in their place was a letter written by the King's Hand saying that her debt was paid.
She hoped that this was the end of her troubles, little did she know that it was just the beginning.