Dancing the Knight Away

At first, he moved jerkily and without grace, but soon, he was dancing as though he had been doing it his whole life - which he had. His mother, the daughter of a bard and an accomplished dancer herself, had insisted he learn some rudimentary dancing skills. He'd never thought much about it (except when squiring some lovely lady across the castle dance floor), but now, it seemed to be all he could do.

"Very graceful, Sir Knight," Belboz snickered from off to the side. "No, I'm afraid I can't help you at all. The dragon and his family are quite powerful, you see. If I lend aid to you, I open myself up for all sorts of retribution. Including lawsuits!" he added with a shudder.

"In fact, I'm afraid I have to tell you that a contract I signed with the dragon a century or so ago means I have to prevent you from fulfilling your quest. In fact, I plan to arrange it so you'll never pose a threat to the dragon again. Nothing personal, you understand - although I've never had much use for knights and so forth. So - away with you!"

Belboz sprinkled an odd dust around the still-dancing Sir Fred, chanted something arcane sounding, then made an elaborate gesture - and with a soundless flash, Sir Fred vanished from the chamber. 

Elsewhere, Fred rematerialized, unheralded by either flash or sound, and still dancing away. I feel - different! What's that old crank done to me? he thought.

The answer soon came.

In a nearby shiny surface, Fred caught a glimpse of himself - and if he hadn't been compelled to keep dancing, he would have collapsed in shock! Now he knew what Belboz had meant when he said he'd arrange it so Fred could never threaten the dragon! He had been transformed into: 

1. A scrawny fellow in a pair of tights. Fred was now a minor player in the Royal Ballet! 
2. A buxom, dark-skinned woman, dressed in a series of flowing veils, swaying before a leering group of rich drunkards! 
3. A bear, dressed in a funny costume and with a ring through his nose, dancing in a circus somewhere. 
4. Some sort of mechanical toy, moving stiffly across a smooth metal surface. 
5. His own mother! And before him, was a younger version of himself, watching as "mother" showed him how to dance! 
6. A strange being, made up of what appeared to be quicksilver! The chamber he was in was made similarly - and there was no exit anywhere! 

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