Blackwater Islands sleeping with the moon and the stars

Akantha was unawares of the budding emotions Kalika harbored for her, but she, too, felt her bond growing stronger and stronger as time went on. She no longer suspected the pale ambassador was plotting anything beneath her nose—the day she'd confronted Kalika was a painful enough memory, and one that never settled well in the pit of her stomach. It hadn't been right to accuse her so brashly, even if the truth of her suspicions never left her mouth. The intent was there and, truly, Kalika had every right to deny Akantha the knowledge and even defend herself. But she didn't. She simply admitted the truth no matter how much it might have brused her ego. 

She chuckled and looked away towards the nearby waterfall. "You remind me of myself," when I was your age. The unspoken words brought her mind to a brief, but jarring, standstill. The last time she'd laid eyes upon Ankyra Sound, she was not much older than Kalika herself. Now she was four, nearing five. Soon time would begin to reclaim her vigor until, inevtiably, there would be nothing left to give. Akantha inhaled slowly and shot a glance to Kalika. She realized that, without children of her own, Kalika was the closest thing she'd ever had to an heir. 

"The prayer varies," she began to quickly change the focus to something other than the crushing realization of her future, "and some Sisters choose to put their own spin on it, but the one I was taught goes as such:

I am bold and strong. I am confident. I am the Mothers' daughter
I am Her Fury and Her patience. I am Her, as They are me
I follow my heart's desires fearlessly but I am grateful for the lessons I have learned
I embrace the new beginning, and the unfolding path ahead
I am reborn with this New Moon

Akantha finished and smiled Kalika. "You aren't obligated to use my own, but it gives you an idea of what They expect."