Remy's POV:

My eyes scrunched up. The drink was vile, tasting grainy and sweet. When it was gone, I prised my eyes open and was hardly surprised. Ice. My winter wonderland. I set the bottle down on the ground and gripped the sword.

And I noticed that this time, it was snowing. Small snowflakes crept down towards me, silent as night, gathering together on the ice. The whole atmosphere seemed saddened somehow, as though a memorial service had just been given. As though a death had recently occurred.

"Raybha," I whispered, sure she was watching. "Something's different. I can feel it."

That was an understatement. Sadness swallowed me up – drowning my thoughts, killing off any other emotions, polluting my brain entirely. I just wanted to curl up on the ice and cry. I gripped the sword even tighter, fighting to remember my task. Fighting to hold on.

And the sadness disappeared altogether. It replaced by something I couldn't name anything but acceptance. I was accepting what was going to happen. I accepted there was nothing I could do about it.

I need to let them go.

"I'm ready," I breathed, hardly daring to say another word. That was all that was needed. I realised my eyes were squeezed shut, and when I finally found the courage to open them again, my breath caught in my throat.

Peter's hologram stood ahead of me again, smiling eerily, as though it was forced. He looked straight ahead, oblivious to me. But there was something else.

A long plank of ice was gleaming with light and radiance, and it stretched from Peter to somewhere behind me, sitting comfortably on identical ice supports. I looked behind me and was taken aback to see everyone else in the same position. Aaya, Curly, Raybha, Hook, the tribe, and that girl I still had yet to learn the identity of.

But what really blew me away was what everyone was connected to.

A huge block of jagged ice crystals stood proudly and rather dauntingly right in the centre of the circle of people, looking threatening but beautiful all the same. That was lit up too, gleaming, shining, as though the sun was inside it. The deep blue only complimented it.

I looked at the sword in my shaking hand, and then at the long icy planks that taunted me. Then back at the sword. Then at the planks.

It was pretty obvious the Sword of Anmil was going to act as an axe.

My breathing was rather rapid ; I was nervous. Nervous as hell. I looked at the ice planks and then at the monstrous sculpture they were all connected to. Connections. Bonds. It all seemed rather fitting.

Oh, I thought. The jagged ice crystals probably represented me.

In an effort to calm my breathing I closed my eyes and gave myself a few seconds. It seemed I was – no, I definitely was – putting it off. Then I tried to envision the aftermath. Everything would be alright again and everyone would be safe. The only thing stopping me was my own selfishness.

I mustered up the selfless part of me, although it was wearing away at the edges. My sweaty hands were slippery on the swords handle. The icy bonds were right there, in front of me. I scanned the holograms all around me. Who would I disconnect myself from first?

The girl who I didn't recognise was the easiest to let go first.

I walked carefully over to the centre of her bond, afraid it might attempt to fight back. Pretending the sword was some sort of golf club I raised it above my head, shaking with anxiety.

With an outrageous scream I launched it downward and everything faded to black.

"What's wrong?"

"My - my brother. Marus. He's missing, he didn't return from hunting today. The others thought he had already come back."

"It's okay! Calm down Kina! I'm sure Marus is around here somewhere…he'll be back!"

The sword had long clattered to the ground. I blinked the tears out of my eyes. I didn't remember them appearing. Of course it was Kina. God, I was so stupid.

The blue ice had disappeared completely, and the jagged ice crystals had definitely dimmed a little.

Kina's hologram was gone.

One down, I thought. I wiped away the tears quickly and snatched the sword back up. Then I remembered I had to explain to Raybha.

"It was Kina," I said miserably, staring at where I guessed Raybha was. "I just destroyed it. It's gone."

I studied the other holograms. Who was next?

"Remy!"

I swung around. Real Peter was standing near Hologram Peter. They were exactly the same apart from Hologram Peter's ghostly smile.

"Peter? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I got Raybha to give me that potion thing she made. Remy, something's happened."

"What? What could be so bloody important? I'm kind of in the middle of destroying a few connections right now."

"Hook put forward his declaration of war. We're in war, Remy. You can't leave us now."

Fury bubbled inside me. My body was running on electricity.

"No," was all I said.

Before Peter could stop me I hurtled myself directly over to Hook's hologram and, without a second thought, took the swing I'd been waiting for.

"Maria!"I whipped around again and he was there. A small, skinny little boy, around the age of seven, lay there. His baggy white shirt was soaked in red, and his brown trousers were caked in mud. I rushed to his side and knelt down, suddenly aware that I was in a baggy white dress. I flicked red out of my eyes, and realized what it was. I caught strands through my fingers. My hair was red.

"Maria," Jay sobbed helplessly.

I forgot about everything else and looked at him. It looked as though he had gotten caught up in the war. I wanted to tell him that I wasn't Maria, but I couldn't, because it felt like a lie.

"Maria," Jay sobbed again. "He's coming. He tried to kill me. He's coming back."

"Who? Who's coming?"

"Maria! Behind you! He's behind you!"

I twisted my head around and a man with an unfriendly face sneered at me. Unlike Jay, he was in a good condition. Suddenly I was angry, angry at what he had done to Jay. I stood, and see the man held a whip in his hand. His face was worn, and if not for the ugly sneer it might've been a handsome face. But when I looked him in the eye hatred burned inside of me, frazzling my heart.

"Maria," he breathed. "Get out of the way."

To the man, I was Maria too.

"Get away from him!" I screeched. "Get away from Jay! Leave him alone!"

The man raised his whip with a look of madness in his eyes. They were bloodshot. He looked drunk.

"Move," he whispered.

I held my ground and braced myself as the whip flew up in the air and –

I gasped for air. I was still bracing for the hard crack of the whip, but nothing came.

"Remy," a soft voice whispered. My voice. Our voice.

Maria stood above me, her red hair blowing around her face, creating a heavenly aura about her. I was crouching on my knees now, trying to make my eyes adjust to the light. She gave me her hand and pulled me up smoothly.

"You're her, aren't you?" I said straight away. "You're my greatest grandmother."

She smiled. "Yes. But in heaven we can take any form of age. I chose my twenties." Her eyes shone.

"We're in heaven?"

"No, no. I came to pay you a visit. I'm sure you are used to it by now."

I realised she was talking about Martina. I grinned, in spite of the whole situation.

"Have you been making me have these dreams?"

"Yes."

"Where's Peter? Where are we?"

"This is simply a meeting room. Or place, if you like. Peter is where you left him."

It certainly wasn't a room. It was an icy landscape, like my winter wonderland, but it felt more at ease, more happy.

"Why have you been giving me these dreams? Are they memories?"

"They are memories reconstructed. I wanted to show you my brother's past. That cruel man with the whip was our father. He was a terrible, terrible man. My brother would not be who he is today if our father was a good one."

"So you've been trying to make me pity Hook?" I questioned, trying to keep my face and voice composed.

"No. I wanted to show you his weak spots. Peter has told you. James wants war. And you do not have long to prepare for it."

My worry was rising. "Maria, what do I do? How can I fight him?"

She smiled sadly. "You will win. You will find a way. But you will not triumph in the way you hope."

I didn't know what she meant, but nodded. "I have to go back. Send me back. Thank you."

She nodded back. "Good luck, dear."

And with a flash, it was back to darkness.

A/N : I am so angry at me and so sorry not for updating! I don't deserve anyone's patience because I've been pretty impatient with myself! I will give you the lowdown on why I have not updated. Although it is boring and you will probably not want to read it at all. I got pretty sick and was out of action for over a month. Then school started and I was out a lot, so when I finally properly started back I was catching up on everything because I'm in an exam year. It really sucks. And then I found I had such a bad writer's block and it really irritated me because I couldn't think of anything to write and I was afraid that if I just wrote anything I would mess it up and ruin it. So yeah. I am so sorry. Hopefully update will be soon enough. Thanks guys.