The dragon looked mean. He was big and black with hungry red eyes which seemed to stare out from the page. Ned poked him with his finger as his Dad's shadow fell across his page.
"Alfyzar?" he repeated thoughtfully, struggling to wrap his tongue around the word. It was a funny name, but it wasn't as funny as tickling.
"Oh noooo!" Ned protested through a giggle, rocking back against his Dad's chest and kicking his legs. He tried to make his escape. Reaching for Sir Hugs, he grabbed hold of the bear's paw and bopped Mallos on the shoulder with him. It didn't help. Ned couldn't breathe he was laughing so hard.

Ned wrapped his hands around Mallos' arm and leaned back into the hug. When his Papa released him he looked back down at King Alfyzar.
"He tickled dragons?" Ned asked seriously, tipping his head to one side. He peered down at the dragon's scary red eye dubiously. Then a thought struck him. "You tickle dragons, Papa?" He had seen his Dad do a lot of cool things, so it seemed quite likely that if anyone could it would be him. "Did Alfyzar teach you?" Ned ran his hand across the picture again, over the king's face, and the horses of the knights all around him.

Just the two of them? Ned frowned. "Where's niñera?" he asked, turning to survey the room, as if expecting to find her hiding behind a bookcase. She'd taken a phone call, started crying and then run away. He hoped she was okay. He decided to check with his Dad just to make sure. "She was sad," he explained, climbing into Mallos' lap. He sat Sir Hugs on his knee. "She happy now?"

Sir Hugs toppled out of place and landed face-first on top of the book. Ned gasped and grabbed after him. As he lifted his bear free of the page, the illustration recaptured his imagination. Leaning forwards, he tapped the picture of the knights with his finger.
"Ponies," he declared, turning back to his Papa with an excited a grin. "We are knights," Ned explained, gesturing between himself and Sir Hugs, "we need ponies." He looked back at the picture and then down to Sir Hugs. "Oh..." Ned continued, with another thoughtful frown, "and I need helmet." He looked to his Papa, realising something. "And so do you! Need helmets and ponies to tickle dragons." He grinned. "Sí?"