"My father -- " Her voice is steady. "From everything he said about the days of the rebellion... it's not clear if Maric was ever a happy man."

She's not looking at Alistair.

"They weren't close, not like Loghain and Maric were, but... close enough."




(Cullen, she's sure, has heard all of this. He comes out of the bedroom with a fixedly calm expression she ruefully recognizes, and goes to attend to the dishes.)