He waited until the small crowd started dispersing, heading back toward the main gathering area, some talking about the sudden revelation of the relationship between Shuri and Peter and the rest talking about Peter's hand to hand abilities, before he confessed his ignorance to Shuri, who had her hand firmly in is, and Azoru, who was walking with them, looking amused and a little smug.

"What just happened?"

The Jabari answered before Shuri could.

"The princess just made you off-limits to the other girls," he replied.

"But they are not off-limits to you," Shuri added, feeling a little uncertain, now. It had been a fine scene – and she rarely had a chance to show domination (it was her nature, but a princess needed to be demure, and follow protocols more often than not – but she was aware that she probably should have conferred with Peter, first. Maybe he didn't see their relationship in the same way that she did? He was from a country that was very different from her own, and despite her having visited there many times, and probably being more familiar with their culture than many Wakandans, she could have been reading more into their times together than what was, truly, there. Maybe it was one of those flings? She'd never had a fling, before, and wasn't sure what it was like. "I have no claim on your attentions…"

He frowned at that, looking over at her, confusion obvious on expression.

"You're my girlfriend, though… right?"

"Yes. Of course."

"Doesn't that give you a claim on my attentions?"

He wasn't an expert, but he was pretty sure that was how things worked. Unless they worked differently in Wakanda? Or with princesses?

Alec snorted amusement in his head, but didn't say anything to make things less confusing.

"It should," she agreed. "But I did not know if things are different in your land."

"Shuri just told the others that you are her choice for all future considerations," Azoru explained. "Not that you will have to marry her tomorrow, or anything, but she has chosen you as potential husband and mate – should you be interested."

"Husband?"

"Don't you dare look panicked," Alec told him, quickly. "She isn't saying you have to marry her. She's simply making her choice and preference known to you – and it's made her very vulnerable, right now. Don't ruin it by running away or freaking out."

"I could wait until we are thirty, as our pact specifies," she assured him, unaware of the silent conversation going on inside Peter head. "But I would prefer not to do so."

Azoru smiled.

"Wakandan women are very territorial, Peter. Of their lands, and their possessions. You're in trouble, my friend."

Shuri shot the young Jabari a look that clearly said she wasn't impressed with his comment, but she smiled at Peter, shrugging, slightly.

"He is correct about us being territorial," she conceded. "But we are also patient."

That made Peter smile, too.

"That's good," he replied. He squeezed her hand, lightly, feeling a little relieved – and a lot flattered. Everyone liked to be wanted, right? And having her tell all of the others that she liked him? "I can't do anything until I'm done with school, after all."

"But the commitment is clear?" she asked.

"Say yes or I'm packing my things and leaving."

He smiled, both because Alec was hilarious, and because he'd never agreed to being engaged, before. To a princess? And someone as brilliant and beautiful as she was? Heady stuff for a kid from Queens.

"Yes."

She and Azoru both smiled at that.

"It is settled, then." Somewhat, anyway. "I have a few things that I must do at the gathering." She smiled. "Princess things that men are not going to be interested in attending – although you are not prohibited, of course. You might want to find something to put on your face. It is very sunburned."

"Watch out, Peter," Azoru said, smirking. "She is already ordering you around."

"We are not amused, Jabari," Shuri said, primly, although her eyes were sparkling with happiness. The royal we wasn't something that she used, often, either – and usually only when teasing. She wasn't the king, after all, and didn't have to use that terminology to pull others in line, now did she? "Just for that, you may accompany me to the cloth merchant, and help me decide what the staff in the palace are going to be wearing, next year, while Peter goes and finds a healer – or Tony and Pepper – to get his face looked at."

The young noble nodded, and then bowed with a flourish, although he rolled his eyes at Peter.

"My pleasure."

Shuri released Peter's hand.

"I'll see you, later?"

He nodded.

"Definitely."

"That wasn't so terrible, now was it?" Alec asked as Peter turned and headed for the ferry that would take him across the river to the tents (he assumed he could find some lotion, or something, there, to put on his face) and Shuri and Azoru turned and walked in the direction of the clothing wares that had been put out on display for the rest of the gathering to look at.

"No."

Pretty painless, even.

OOOOOOOOOO

"This is pretty incredible…"

"It's amazing," Wong agreed. "And that's saying something, considering I've been to marketplaces in many other countries and even other dimensions."

Strange smiled at that – as did Natasha, who was walking with the two men as they wandered through the gathering area looking at all of the things that the other tribes were showing off. Mostly wares; artwork, tools that their tribe seemed to specialize in making, weapons, cloth from both plant fibers and wool from the goats that only a few places seemed to have the resources to allow the creatures to thrive in numbers that made them profitable. There was much to see, and she was glad that they had a few days to look at it all.

"They do this twice a year?"

"No. The official gathering like this is once a year, but there is another that is much less formal – and then, of course, whenever anything happens, the tribes can send their representatives to the capitol to be part of anything that might come up – or to learn of any decisions that the king or queen might be making in reference to it."

"It's a well thought out system for governing a large country with so many diverse tribes," Strange said, approvingly.

He was more and more impressed every time he learned something new about the place.

Romanoff was about to respond to that when they saw a few young men hurry along, looking excited. As they went, they picked up even more youngsters – all teens, and almost all male.

"What do you think they're up?" she asked, curiously.

"They're young and they're male," Wong replied. "They're either going to go meet up with (or spy on) girls, or they're on their way to a fight."

"Think we should follow?"

The two men shrugged. Obviously whatever they were doing wasn't going to be against any rules, or the kids would be doing a better job of hiding that they were up to something. Of course, it could be something as simple as a contest to see who could pee the furthest – or could write their names out in the dust. But it might be something interesting, and Wong and Stephen both hated the idea of missing out on anything new.

Of course, the young men might not appreciate an audience, either – even if they were doing something that was sanctioned by the adults.

"Perhaps we could wander in the same direction they are going…?" Stephen suggested. "Just to get an idea of what they're doing."

So they did. Not hurrying, because Natasha was expert at not drawing attention to herself when she didn't want to – even when she wasn't trying to be that way, it just came naturally. They walked the same direction, and saw other young men – and even some young women – all going the same direction. They held back even more, now that they knew their destination, and the sound of excited cheering greeted them as they finally ended up on the edge of a clearing.

The youngsters were all gathered around a wide circle of space that held two combatants. One was Wakandan, and the other – easily identified by his much paler skin – was Peter.

"What in the world…?" Romanoff started forward, concerned, but Stephen reached out and caught her arm.

"Easy, Natasha," he said, quickly – and quietly, although there wasn't any way that anyone was going to hear him over the crowd that was watching the competition. "There are adults, there, look."

She scowled, but she did stop and look where he was pointing. Sure enough, there were three of them. All watching everything that was happening, and clearly there to make sure that things didn't get out of hand. She looked at Wong and Stephen.

"Did he mention this to either of you?"

"Of course not," Stephen replied. "I would have told you."

"It's possible that he didn't know," Wong pointed out. "I was told that there are many instances of impromptu contests at these gatherings. Get a bunch of teens together? With a lot of girls watching? They're going to want to prove themselves."

"Which makes it a smart idea to have an adult or two keeping an eye on things," Strange added, nodding. He smiled when Peter knocked the boy that he was facing off against down to the ground – again. "Peter's doing well, though."

"Shuri's watching," Wong said, smiling. "He has plenty to prove, too."

"Tony told me that he was going to let him spar with anyone who challenged him, here," Natasha admitted. Reluctantly. She shrugged, and was pleased to see that the boy was holding back, but was definitely outclassing the bigger boy he was squaring off with. "I suppose I thought it would be more structured."

"Might be both kinds," Strange said. "Do you want to stay and watch?"

"We don't need to," Romanoff said. She frowned. "I wish he wouldn't have taken his shirt off, though… he's going to fry if he isn't careful."

"He's not dumb," Wong said, even as the three of them turned and walked back the way they came. "He'll put it on when he starts getting warm."

"Yeah."