He found Alistair sitting on a chair in front of his desk, reading something, and holding a bottle of Aggregio Parvali and two goblets. At his entrance, the Warden looked up and smiled, holding up the bottle, "I thought you might want a drink, Commander."

At the sight of the drink, Cullen felt his hand tremble… one of the side effects of the lyrium withdrawal. Alistair noticed it and nodded as he lowered the goblets on the table and opened the bottle, pouring amber liquid. "How long?"

Cullen sighed as he made his way to his chair and sat down as the man sat at the opposite side of the table, giving him the goblet. He took it and sipped, the warm liquid soothing the raw, scratching feeling on his throat, but disappointingly washing the last hints of Alexandra's kisses from his mouth. "Several months now."

"I haven't been a templar long enough for the lyrium to take full control of me. I was inducted into the Wardens before I became a full templar. But I do know that it's uncomfortable and maddening." Alistair said as he leaned back on the chair and crossed his ankles, "How are you holding up?"

"It's… hard." Cullen admitted, "But I can endure it. I have to, for the sake of the Inquisition."

"And for her right?" Alistair said, looking at him, "The Inquisitor?"

"How did you…?" Cullen started to ask, and the Warden laughed, "You two were snogging in the battlements, man. Snogging! In the battlements! Where people can see from below or from the balcony! Honestly, I didn't realize that Josephine and Leliana were quite the romantic, they actually rushed up the rookery to watch you two. Josephine practically swooned at how romantic you two were with your displays of emotion."

"Maker's breath." Cullen sighed as he rubbed his temple, and Alistair chuckled, "It's quite alright. I've done my share of public snogging with Solona several times with Leliana present. You'll get used to it. Mind that Leliana will start teasing you now."

"I'll keep that in mind." The commander said, drinking from his goblet again. And Alistair looked at him, "Actually… there was something I wanted to talk about, but I couldn't say it in front of Alex."

Cullen looked up at the man as he drank and looked at his goblet pensively, "I'm listening, Alistair."

"I didn't come here just because of Hawke." Alistair admitted, "Solona sent me here, to tell Alex about my findings concerning the Wardens… and to relay a message to you."

He blinked in surprise as the Warden continued, "She's heard of Alex from rumors around Val Royeaux. She heard that the Herald was a mage from the Ostwick Circle named Trevelyan and she instantly knew that it was her sister." He pointed at him, "She's also heard that you were with her, that you were the forces' leader."

"I see." Cullen nodded, "And what did she say?"

"She said… she said you should tell her everything." Alistair said, "About the Circle Tower, and about Kirkwall. Be truthful to her."

"What? Why?"

"Solona still fears that the… trauma with what happened with Kinoch Hold would cause you to not care for her, since she's a mage. She fears your anger will still eat at you, even after so long, and that your view on mages would still be the same."

"That is… that happened over ten years ago, Alistair." Cullen said incredulously, "I've changed."

"Have you?" Alistair said, "From what I've gathered, you didn't want Alex to seek out her fellow mages to help close the Breach, that you preferred that she approached the templars."

Cullen silenced as his companion finished his goblet and refilled it, "I was angry at my father… both my real and adopted father… for many years. For a moment in my life, it actually consumed me and skewed my opinion of them. I thought they didn't love me, that they never really cared or that they hated me. And it wasn't until they were gone that I realized how wrong I was." Alistair said, looking up at him, "Alex might be a mage, but she's not like the others, Cullen. Just as Solona isn't like the other mages."

He nodded, "I… understand."

Alistair nodded, "Good. Because I am really bad at giving lectures. That's more like Solona's job… or yours, perhaps." The two men chuckled, "And besides, from how much spit the two of you exchanged at the battlements, I can confidently tell Solona that you have changed your opinions on mages... or maybe one specific mage."

"Oh Maker, don't tell her. I treated her so badly the last time we met, and I'm afraid she'll burn me alive if she found out that the condemning templar back in the Circle had become her sister's… paramour." Cullen said, shaking his head and causing Alistair to laugh out loud. "Don't worry, friend, Solona's more drawn to electricity magic lately. She'll electrocute you, maybe, but she won't burn you."

"Well, that's comforting."

The two of them laughed again but soon, Alistair looked at him again, "But do me a favor, will you, Cullen?"

"What favor?"

The Warden smiled at him, "Take good care of her. For me. For Solona. I consider her my sister now, and I would be damned if I let anything bad happen to her. If you hurt her… if anything happens to her… I will cross even the Fade and the Beyond just to hunt you down." He winced, "Besides, Solona will skewer me alive if something happens to her. Who would've thought that twirling a staff around would make mages adept at pole arms."

Cullen grinned, "A mage's staff is practically a pole arm. And there's no need for threats, Alistair. I would give up everything… even my life to keep her safe."

Alistair smiled at him brightly, "Good." He raised his goblet up, and Culled clunked it with his in a toast, before the two men drank and drained it. Cullen wiped his lip with his hand as the Warden pointed at him, "You know, I met Hawke's lover back in Kirkwall. Anders, his name was. And I'm sensing a pattern."

"What pattern?"

"That the Amell females have a particular hankering for blonds."

Cullen laughed, "Runs in the family, eh?"

"Absolutely."