After the events of Merlin’s monumental battle with Ravador the dragon, Merlin found that it had taken more out of him than he’d expected. So he decided to have a bit of time off to recuperate and recharge his energy levels. During this time, Miss Itawa, whom he’d saved from the dragon and given the gold double spiral to, came quite often to visit him, as she was so grateful to him. Merlin didn’t mind this one bit, as Maia, which was her first name, was an absolutely beautiful woman and he enjoyed her company and conversations. He found out that she was actually a famous model and had been in many magazines and newspapers in the latest fashions. When she told him this, he understood why he thought he’d seen her before somewhere, and it had probably been on the cover of some glossy publication in a large newsagent.
One night, Maia invited Merlin to a fashion show which she was appearing in. Afterwards, she introduced him to some of the other women who were also supermodels in their own right, and whom he recognised as well. There was Maria Michaelangelo from Milan; Brigitte Bellevue from Paris; Frieda Schweitzer from Germany and Krystal Lake from New York. Another evening, they went out together to a plush Soho restaurant where they dined and listened to trendy bands who got the young and up-for-it crowds going. Merlin was having a great time and was enjoying Maia’s company immensely as he gradually felt his energy returning. He also started to feel like he was falling in love.
There was a particular song that came to Merlin. It had significance to him for many reasons and the lilting melody seemed to haunt his thoughts, as he sang it aloud:
“Black is the colour of my true love’s hair,
Her lips are like two roses fair,
She has the sweetest smile
And the gentlest hands,
I love the ground whereon she stands.
I look to the moon up in the sky,
I look back and see the light in her eyes,
The moon’s light is dull
When I compare the two,
Her eyes sparkle brightly with a love that’s true.
There’s no one else, who inspires me so,
I couldn’t bear to see her go,
Stay with me now
And for all of time,
I ask this of you, my one love sublime.
You’re the reason I live; you’re the reason I breathe,
I’m so happy to be here, I don’t want to leave,
With you by my side
I need nothing more,
I’m rich with your love, even if I’m poor.
My heart’s filled with warmth from the fire of love,
I pray to the Heavens and the stars above,
I thank them with all
That I have to give,
That they put you here, that they let you live.
Black is the colour of my true love’s hair,
Her lips are like two roses fair,
She has the sweetest smile
And the gentlest hands,
I love the ground whereon she stands.
Black is the colour of my true love’s hair.”
When Merlin sang this song to Maia on her birthday, she was delighted. They both knew the feelings were mutual.
The intelligence, which was apparent in Maia’s brother, Prof. Itawa, seemed to be a family trait, although one couldn’t be certain whether it had been inherited from their British mother or Japanese father. Perhaps it was a combination. Merlin and Maia would have long discussions on many amazing subjects, including Merlin’s favourites’: astronomy and astrology, and Maia astutely raised the topic of the star Sirius on one occasion. Merlin then gave an account of the legends and lore associated with that brightest star out of the whole night sky and Maia listened in wonder.
Then shortly after the topic of Sirius was raised, Merlin had an extraordinarily vivid dream. In his dream, he was a samurai warrior who was exceptionally skilled in swordsmanship and had established a reputation for being unbeatable in duels. Because of this legendary status which he had gained, he found that many other warriors would come to challenge him, in order to defeat him and claim the fame for themselves. On one such occasion, a much younger samurai came to challenge him. This opponent was barely a man and much less than twenty years old, yet he was determined to have a crack at Merlin to prove himself. Merlin didn’t want to fight the youngster and even turned to leave, but this seeming insult enraged the young samurai and in a frenzy he rushed at Merlin as he walked away. Instinctively Merlin reacted to the attack and quickly brought down his opponent. However, the killing of this youth weighed heavily on his mind and he felt he could never forgive himself for his deed. And as the dream finished and he awoke, he realised that the boy had certain qualities which he recognised in Maia Itawa and it was probably from this event that he felt the uncanny sense that they had met before.
When Merlin told Maia about this dream, she sat pensively for a while and then said to Merlin that he had made amends for this act by saving her from the dragon. This seemed to make a great deal of sense to Merlin and then Maia let Merlin in on a secret. She revealed to him that she actually had certain powers too, like those conferred on Merlin by the Talisman of Change. However, hers were natural abilities, which she had been born with, passed down from mother to daughter for generations. She was an enchantress and had the power to create illusions; the illusion of being able to change objects from one thing to another. As a token of this power, she would pass on the golden double spiral Merlin gave her to her daughter and tell her to pass it on to her daughter and so on.
Merlin was amazed by this revelation and when he reflected on it, he looked back at all the places they had been to, like the fashion show, the plush restaurants, the parties, clubs, shows, soirees and he saw them in a different light. Now the glamorous lifestyle they had led seemed to be all an illusion, unreal and fleeting, a fantastic enchantment. Merlin had been completely under her spell. Maia told Merlin that she would always be grateful to him for saving her life, but she knew she had to release him from her spell to allow him to continue on his path to learn the magic arts. She felt sure their paths would cross again one day, in this lifetime or the next. Merlin’s eyes appeared to be opened once more and he saw that he had neglected his quest for too long. So, he gave Maia a farewell kiss and set off once more to make his way on his journey to become a true magician.