[Gale is taken aback by that initial reasoning - that Astarion not only wants him to have such intimacy, but that he feels Gale deserves it, as Mystra couldn't be bothered with it.

And as much as Gale hates to admit it, Astarion is right: whatever the endeavor, if it didn't please Mystra, it often wasn't considered worth doing at all. Gale has lived by that notion for so long that her commanding him to die to earn her forgiveness was easy to accept, seeming almost reasonable. But it's that sentiment that drew Gale to Astarion in the first place, his insistence that the goddess had failed him in some way rather than the other way around - that she wasn't worthy of him.

Astarion has helped him see his worth, and he wants to return the favor. He wants to help Astarion reclaim his desires, to feel they're his rather than his master's.]

Perhaps, once Cazador is dead, you'll be able to reclaim those feelings, make them truly yours in a way they haven't been in so long. Until then, you must realize you've done more for me than Mystra ever did in all the time we were together. Not just here, tonight, but... every time I'm with you, no matter how we enjoy one another's company.