Tales from Egypt (A Gods of Egypt Fanfiction)

Lessons

Horus watched out of the corner of his eye as Bek looked at the page in front of him for what seemed liked the tenth time in the same moment. His gaze wandered over the scroll quickly before he turned to look at some of the other advisers sitting around the table next to him.

Not once did his hand reach for the pencils, to make the corrections he had been requested to make. The young man sighed heavily and turned back to his document, folding his face in his hands. It was clear to the god that he was feeling out of place, it was not the first time and probably would not be the last time despite the number of occasions when he'd been assured that Horus would rather have nobody at his right then Bek himself.

But there was a deeper issue here, something that he was missing that was so obvious that it was insane he had not noticed sooner.

The Lord of the Air raised a hand to silence the discussions around him, the other advisers turned to look at their king questioningly as he prepared to speak. His eyes were for one though, the one adviser who was refusing to meet his gaze.

"You are dismissed, we can finish this meeting at a later time, go see your families, your children"

These sorts of requests and dismissals were common now but still earned him strange looks. As much as he tried to pretend it was not true, Bek had changed something in him. All the advisers stood from their seats and filed out of the grand room, wishing him good health and good fortune as they passed.

All but one.

Standing from his seat, Horus walked down the small steps to take up the vacated seat next to his friend. Bek still refused to meet his gaze willingly, his eyes portraying his embarrassment. Leaning forward on his elbows, the god talked closer to his ear in case of an eavesdroppers, it was not unknown that he favored two of his personal staff over everyone else, even those who had been there his entire short lived rule and his fathers.

"Bek?"

The young 'retired' thief (it was an inside joke. ;3) looked up at him with his usual cheeky confident gaze. Horus's gaze was soft as it finally had dawned on him what the issue was.

"You do not know how to write?"

They both knew it was meant to be a statement, but it came out as a question as to not offend the younger male. He nodded slowly obviously embarrassed by the fact that he was unable to write and his friend who just so happened to be king and a god knew this.

"I did not grow up with much, you know, everyday was different. Zaya knows a bit, enough to get by, she can read really well too, but---"

"But no one had ever shown you?"

Bek shook his head, looking up when the gods large arm cast a shadow over him as he leaned forward to grab a clean page and a pencil. Looking up at his larger friend curiously, Horus smiled at him.

"I can show you"

Bek looked just as surprised when the god spelled out a few letters and passed him a spare pencil.

“Trace these ones and try to copy them underneath”

It took a few weeks, maybe two, but Bek was a quick study and Horus was patient with him.

The next meeting they held, Horus smiled faintly as he watched his friend correct the speech he'd been given. And when Bek gazed up at him, their eyes meeting, he knew that the feeling was mutual.