The door to Papa's study was open. Ned clung to the doorframe as he peered around the corner listening hard for the tell-tale rumble of voices. His efforts were met with silence. Curious, Ned crept out onto the landing, tightening his grip on Sir Hugs' paw. The floorboards creaked beneath his feet, but no one seemed to notice. The whole house seemed deserted; he couldn't even hear his sister running around the floor above. Ned paused to help Sir Hugs onto his horse, a soft rag-doll-like toy the perfect size for a knight of Sir Hugs' stature, and then trotted them both along the top of the radiator cover. The little plastic hooves clop clop clop-ed over the varnished wood until they finally drew opposite the door.

Sir Hugs was helped to dismount, and Ned pressed him gently against the door. It edged open revealing an empty room. It was large, open and tidy, but had grown a little dim in the fading light of the evening. Ned stepped cautiously across the threshold, his attention capture by a faint golden glow coming from an open drawer of his Papa's desk. Grey eyes wide, and with Sir Hugs hanging from his hand, Ned closed the space between himself and the glow. He placed his horse down on the seat of the chair and climbed up after it, pulling himself into place with his arms, the feet of the chair giving him a helpful boost.

A set of rings sat in the bottom of the drawer and it was one of these rings which was responsible for the glow. Ned frowned down at it, his fingers edging towards it. It looked like it had come from one of the games in the nursery; you had to throw little rings at a set of posts and if you managed to get a ring around a post you scored points. Ned was quite good at it. He looked around the room, looking for the other part of Papa's toy, but it was nowhere to be seen. They'd have to play a different game.

"Sir Hugs!" he enthused, setting his friend back on his horse with one hand, whilst he reached for the hoop with the other. "This magic ring will take you to the holy grail!" Ned's fingers closed around the hoop...

And Papa's office vanished.

Ned blinked. He found himself standing at the edge of a forest. It was cold and drizzling, and it looked like it was morning instead of evening. Looking down at the hoop in his hand, he discovered that it had stopped glowing. It sat on his palm looking dull and almost copper-like. Ned bit his lip. He didn't know what had happened, but he did know he had to find a grown up. He wasn't supposed to be on his own in forests, Mama and Papa would worry.

Holding Sir Hugs' paw in his right hand, he tucked his horse under his arm and set off across the field, keeping his eyes (and ears) open for the tell-tale signs of grown-ups. He didn't have to go very far. A group of men dressed in blue and silver tabards stood just belong the line of trees loading up a cart with wooden barrels. The man who was giving orders was wearing armour! A real life knight! He wasted no time, and ran the rest of the way, skidding to a halt in front of the men and fixing them all with a huge grin.

"Are you knights?" he asked them in awe.

The man in armour chuckled. "Something like that, lad," he smiled back, reaching out to ruffle Ned's hair. He was very impressed.

"This is Sir Hugs!" Ned explained, holding up his bear, "he's a knight too! But...we got lost. I don't know where we are and Sir Hugs forgot his compass!"

"You're out here on your own, kid?" one of the younger guards asked with concern. Ned nodded.

"Can you help us?"

"Anything for a fellow knight in need," the first man said. "We're heading back to the Castle. I'm sure we can find someone to help you there. The Queen maybe, or the Princess."

Ned was even more impressed. He had fallen into one of his storybooks! He nodded his enthusiasm and let the younger of the two men lift him up onto the back of the cart. The older man perched beside him, and let Sir Hugs' horse sit in his lap. The real horses who were pulling the cart (the men promised Ned could stroke them when they got to the castle) set off, and they began to roll through the countryside.

It wasn't long before they arrived on the edge of a settlement, a cluster of houses with thatched rooves where people were buying and selling things from colourful stalls. Ned, taking special care not to drop Sir Hugs, waved at a group of friendly looking ladies as they drove past. He laughed in delight when they waved back.

Perhaps the ring really had known the very kind of place the holy grail was likely to be!