Alina sighed, tucked her hair behind her ear, and got to work. One by one, she wove crowns for each of them.
Boo's ended up crooked because he kept spinning in excitement, but he loved it anyway, twirling like a disco prince. Drake's crown had the thickest blades of grass, which he declared were "dragon flames." Vlad Jr. finally smiled—just a little—when she added a red petal in the middle of his, calling it his "royal seal." Rocky cried when his crown slipped off, but Alina fixed it firmly, and his proud little grin returned instantly. Kelpie splashed the grass as he tried to balance his blue flower crown, and the others laughed so hard they rolled in the grass.
By the end, every single baby had a crown on their head. Some sat crooked, some half-broken, but each child beamed as if they had been crowned kings and queens of the world.
Alina leaned back on her hands, exhausted but laughing, as they all ran around the garden showing off to each other.
