Davion and Zebulun sat alone by the fire after lunch. Sarah had gone to gather herbs. Quinn ran off to play with the star folk.

"Zeb," said Davion. "I’ve been thinking."

Zebulun looked up at Davion. "What’s on your mind?"

Davion said, "After that last battle — when we somehow managed to defeat seven dragons — I began to think that we might actually win. You might really become king. It sounds crazy to me, even now, but I think I’m starting to believe."

"Glad to hear it," said Zebulun.

"Let’s say we do win," said Davion. "Let’s say you ascend to the throne. What kind of law do you plan to have?"

"The Law of Ur," said Zebulun. "Love others as yourself."

"Right," said Davion. "I get that. That maxim is universal enough that it seems like a great basis for personal morality, but I wonder if its enough to run a kingdom."

"How do you mean?" asked Zebulun.

"Well," said Davion. "For example: a man who murders another has obviously broken the law, right?"

"Right."

"So," Davion continued, "has a man who steals from another."

"Yes."

"And a man who refuses to save someone’s life," said Davion, "when he could do so at no cost to himself: he’s also guilty."

"I’d say so."

"But," said Davion, "Should all three of those men suffer the same penalty? The same punishment?"

"I’d say no."

"It seems to me," said Davion, "that there are degrees of violation of the law. Some violations are worse — some far worse — than others."

"Seems so."

"I think you may need to spell this out," said Davion. "Love others as yourself is a fine law, but it doesn’t tell judges or enforcers how to deal with those who break it. This could lead to arbitrary punishment. I think we need something a bit more detailed — something that spells out the rights and duties of every person. Some document to give guidance on how to apply the law."

"That’s a good idea," said Zebulun. He stirred the coals for a moment, causing flames to lick the new log on the fire, then looked Davion in the eye. "Will you write it?"

Davion raised his eyebrows in surprise. He looked down at the fire, thought for a moment, then looked up at Zebulun and said, "Okay."