So like in DAO Alistair says that you technically don’t need lyrium for your templar abilities...it just supposedly makes it more “effective” and either it just got retconned and that’s not the truth by DAI or Alistair having elven blood means he’s more attuned to those sorts of abilities.
Anyway all this to say I totally head cannon Cullen can somewhat and subconsciously abate the mark when it’s getting really bad...quizzie thinks it’s the healing power of love when she’s with him and that’s why it doesn’t hurt so much...and yeah partially it’s that but also partially Cullen still has a portion of his previous skills













