After they got moving the next day, Right tracked down Lord Helmi. The young Lord was drinking in Tapsters, and proved surprisingly friendly, having very liberal ideas about the caste system and how it was holding back dwarven progress. Right grudgingly found himself rather liking the affable young noble. It made him feel bad, presenting him with the forged promissory notes; he didn't like fooling him like this. But, as Duncan had said – Grey Wardens did whatever it took. He gritted his teeth, and carried through on it.
Afterwards, they went up to the Diamond Quarter and once again sought out Vartag. He was very pleased to see them; Lady Dace had already shown up, spitting fire over the supposed duplicity of Lord Harrowmont. He very happily led the way to the palace, so they could finally meet with Prince Bhelen.
Bhelen made a point of calling Right "brother" as soon as he greeted him. It was all Right could do to conceal his instant dislike of the man. He had to remind himself repeatedly that Bhelen was his nephew's father, the patron of his sister and mother; that, if not for him, the two of them would undoubtedly still be living in Dust Town. Probably out on the street – without Right's income and influence, they wouldn't have been able to keep the rooms he'd been renting for them. As much as he hated it, this man was someone he owed something to.
Bhelen promised he'd support the treaty with the Grey Wardens – just as soon as he was king. And then outlined a plan to gather more support – or rather, for Right to gather more support for him. Take on Jarvia's cartel, and wipe them out. Right drew a long, calming breath. "I'll see what I can do," he said.
"That's all I can ask," Bhelen said, grinning cheerfully at him, and then suggested that Right might like to stop by and visit his sister and mother while he was here in the palace anyway.
Right nodded, identifying it as the subtle threat it was. Bhelen didn't have to continue his relationship with Rica now that he had a son by her; he could just as easily put her aside as keep her, and without his continued patronage, the pair of them were unlikely to fare well in the cutthroat environment of the Diamond Quarter.
"I'll do that," Right said, and walked away.
Alistair glanced at Right as they walked down the hall; one of the guards, when asked, had let them know where Right's sister and mother could be found.
Alistair wondered how Right was feeling about the upcoming reunion with his mother – he knew how excited and, well, maybe a little scared, he'd be if it was him. But then he'd never known his mother, and it was only a half-year since Right had last seen his. It would likely be rather... different, then anything he'd ever imagined about meeting his own mother.
He drew his wandering thoughts back as they stopped before a closed door. Right knocked quietly. Rica answered the door, and smiled joyfully at the sight of her brother, immediately grabbing him by the arm and dragging him into the room. "Oh, I was so happy when Prince Bhelen mentioned that you'd been able to help him against Lord Harrowmont already!" she exclaimed. "This is going to be so great! Just think, me, the mother of the future king of Orzammar! And concubine of the current king!"
She gushed on for a while, talking about how wonderful her life was now, how it would be even more wonderful once Prince Bhelen was declared King. Alistair would be the first to admit that he knew only a little about dwarven culture and society, but he had a feeling that some of her ideas about what the future might hold for her were... perhaps... maybe... just a little on the overly optimistic side.
Right listened patiently to her chatter, nodding or making encouraging "go on" sounds at intervals, until she finally wound down. "Oh, I should go, it's almost time for my daily visit with Prince Endrin," she finally exclaimed, hugged Right, and hurried off.
A sour voice sounded from further back in the room. "I was beginning to think she was never going to shut up."
An older female dwarf stepped into view. Right and Rica's mother, Alistair presumed; she looked a lot like a much older, more shopworn version of the girl, right down to the bright red hair, though hers was liberally streaked with grey. She walked forward a few steps, stopped, looked Right over from head to toe. "Well, look at you all fancied up... Did the prince decide he likes boys, or did you find some other way to bring in coin?" she sneered.
Alistair's eyes widened in shock. Had she really just suggested what he thought she had...!
Right ignored the caustic words, and walked over to her, taking her hands in his and leaning in to gently kiss her cheek. "I'm a Grey Warden now, Mother," he said quietly.
"Right. Rica told me that once, I think..." she said, trailing off, then frowned, an angry scowl crossing her face. "Running off to the surface, just like your father! Never thought to share a little of that fortune with your mother?"
"Doesn't Rica take care of you?" Right asked, frowning.
"Oh, sure. Rica's the greatest. Rica moved us into the palace, made everything perfect, right?" she sneered. "I've seen how they look at me. Think I'm gutter trash. Not one of them would let me step foot here if it wasn't for Rica! Precious Rica and her precious little brat! If he chokes on that gold rattle, we'd both be on the street!"
Right titled his head sideways, his frown deepening. "You're drinking again, aren't you?" he asked, voice still gentle.
"Heh. You know what they keep up here? They got wine from the surface, ale, brandy... They got a whole room of it. An' nobody's gonna stop me taking it, because I'm the brat's grandmother."
Right looked unhappy. "If I was here... I'd stop you," he said quietly.
She stood still a moment, then gave him a strange look. "You would, wouldn't you..." she said, voice uncharacteristically soft for a moment, then her mood changed again, the angry scowl returning to her face. "You think I don't got the right to be happy? You think I don't deserve what everyone else has? You think you deserve them fancy clothes? You're never gonna be nothing but Dust Town! Just like me."
Abruptly she pulled her hands free from his. "Well, who needs you, anyway? Why would I miss you? What'd you ever do but make me fat and old and ugly?" she snarled, then to Alistair's surprise grabbed Right and gave him a fierce hug. "Rica and I are doing fine here, just fine!" she continued, then pushed him away. "Get out of here!"
Without waiting for any response she turned and stalked off out of sight into the back again. Right stood watching her go, then led the way out of the room, silently.
Alistair followed, feeling thoroughly confused. Part of him wanted to ask Right to explain what that had all been about, but one glance at the closed look on the dwarf's face made him keep his mouth firmly shut. Now was not the time – if there ever was a good time to ask someone about a scene like what he'd just witnessed.