"True," he murmurs. Underneath Cullen's fingers, his hand finally relaxes.

He doesn't have to make up for ten years all at once. Alistair can just be one of the many people who passes through Kieran's life, to start. Not the mad Warden, if he's lucky, but not the only person besides Morrigan tasked with making sure the boy's all right, either.

(If Morrigan would even allow him to adopt such a task. That's the other consideration. Maybe -- maybe they should talk, eventually.)