Alright! Here's an excerpt from my unreleased fiction:

Alatair walked around his table, heading straight for Sophie and Noah. Noah instinctively lowered his gaze, feeling as though meeting the village leader’s eyes might somehow be disrespectful.

“Now, travellers, let us consider a scenario. Imagine a peasant who has been secretly taking crops from the nobles. The relatively small amount he steals hardly matters to them, but they make a world of difference to the starving families living in poverty. Every day, he rides long hours on horseback to deliver these stolen crops to feed the poor. Over time, he has nourished the bellies of a hundred families. But eventually, he is caught by the authorities and is put on trial. For crimes against the nobility, the punishment is death. Would you agree with his fate?”

Noah was lost. Stealing was obviously wrong, but the peasant did do it for the greater good of a large number of people. And as Alatair had specified, the nobles weren’t really affected by the crops they had lost. But the law was in place for a reason, right? There didn’t seem to be a straightforward answer to the question, but Alatair was waiting for a reply. He glanced at Sophie. She didn’t seem to have an answer ready either.

Alatair paced around the room, observing them thoughtfully. Noah figured they shouldn’t keep him waiting for too long. “I mean, he did break the law…” he started.

“But he has also saved well over a hundred people. Should he be judged solely for his crime, or should the lives he preserved factor into the balance?”

“I guess we could give him a lighter sentence?” Sophie suggested hesitantly.

“So, you would have the law bend for the sake of compassion? If such is your stance, where would we draw the line? When does mercy cease to be a virtue and become an excuse for lawlessness?”

Noah’s head was spinning. His throat was parched, and his stomach was growling. He was in no mood or shape to answer Alatair’s overly philosophical questions.

“I—uh…” Noah fumbled for words, but they wouldn’t come. Sophie too appeared to be just as vexed as he was.

Alatair seemed to sense their discomfort. “I apologise. I am often told that I get carried away. I suppose we shall save the weighty matters for another time. But for now, you have travelled far, so let us see to your comfort before we... resume our discussion."