The instant he noticed the huntress's expression turn cold at his explanation, Sir Shane knew he had chosen his words poorly. When the woman proceeded to express her anger through words of her own, the knight took a step back from the table and shook his head at the accusation that all he cared for were the imports. "Of course the people matter to me." Sir Shane replied when Elaine was done speaking. "I am a Knight of Stormhelm. Bound by oath, honor, and duty to give aid and protection to those who need it. Wherever I find them. And even if I wasn't so sworn, I would do so regardless simply because it is the right thing to do."

He had thought that such things went without saying. But now that he was thinking about it, hindsight reminded him that the Knights of Stormhelm and their code of chivalry didn't have as much of a presence in the Dales as they did elsewhere. The Red Marshals were usually more than enough to keep peace in the Dales, so Sir Shane's order often turned their attention to other lands when questing. With that in mind, it started to make sense that some things might not have been as obvious to those who knew less about them.