"Family isn't always blood, it's the people in your life who accept who you are, and love you no matter what happens."
- Kiyi, Uncrowned Princess of the Fire Nation.


Ban's parents were out for the time being, but he'd dutifully invited Rohan and Meiling in to their home and closed the door, then led them to the gardens in the back of their estate. It was far removed from the eye of the general populace, thanks to sturdy walls and an impressive security measure the Beifong's had put in place in recent generations. Now, it was a welcome place of a sanctuary and stability for a young man who found himself decidely out of sorts.

Usually one of the most composed and calm of individuals, right now Ban was pacing back and forth beside his mother's sand garden, examining his hands every few minutes as if seeing something alien and unexplainable attached to his wrist, instead of the familiar ten digits he'd had ever since the day he was born. Meiling was chatting away a mile a minute, asking a dozen questions, but he totally tuned her out. And Rohan seemed to be waiting for Ban and Ban alone to speak. His patience was eventually rewarded.

"How did you know?" Ban finally asked.

Meiling shot him a look that plainly said she thought he was crazy. "Uh hello, did you miss the part where you turned a wall into dust with a flick of your hands! And your eyes were glowing, don't forget about the eyes glowing! Kinda pretty almost sure that's important!" she said, punctuating her remarks with wildly articulate hand gestures.

He grimaced self-consciously. Fortunately, Rohan came to his rescue.

"There is a test we administer," the aged master explained. "For the very young. We've suspected the truth concerning you for some time now. What happened earlier today was merely confirmation."

Nodding absent-minded, Ban started to wring his hands. "So... what happens now?"

"Now... your training begins," Rohan explained. He walked over to Ban and laid a wrinkled hand on the young man's shoulder, halting his pacing. "As it was in ancient times long past, the Avatar must embark on a journey to understand the world and learn more about it. As well as study under the masters of each elemental nation. In a few years you should be able to master all four elements, and you'll be recognized as a fully realized Avatar."

"But I just barely realized I can earthbend," he protested. "You're saying I have to learn three more as well?"

"And master them," Rohan replied, nodding. "But I know you can do it, Ban."

"This is insane..." Ban said, recoiling from the kindly elder's touch. "How do you know? How can you be sure I can do it?"

"Because you've done it before. Many times in fact."

"Oh that's right," Meiling interjected, feeling too long had gone without her saying something and finally recognizing a topic she was somewhat knowledgable on. "Korra's like, your reincarnation, so if she knew all four elements, you should too."

"Korra mastered all the elements when she was only five...!" he protested. "I mean... didn't she?"

Rohan shook his head, beckoning them to follow. "A common misconception. She began displaying the ability to bend water, earth and fire... when she was only four. That is how the White Lotus was able to identify her at such a young age and begin her training immediately. In retrospect, we of the Order believe that Korra was so exceptionally gifted so young because Raava sensed Harmonic Convergence was approaching, and knew the Avatar needed to be ready for it. But many Avatars who came before Korra had no idea of who they truly were until their sixteenth birthday."

Exactly how old Ban was now. Meiling glanced over at her closest friend as if seeing him clearly for the first time.

"... how did you know? What was this... test you spoke of?" Ban asked as they walked along. They were nearing the center of gardens.

"As I said, we've suspected for some time," Master Rohan explained. "The method for identify the Avatar has varied from nation to nation and has even changed over the years. For a while we were indeed puzzled by your lack of aptitude with earthbending, so we remained silent for a time to see what would happen. But perhaps you recognize this?"

They'd finally reached middle of the gardens, where Rohan gestured at its centermost feature: a great oak tree standing nearly a dozen feet high. Ban remembered, it had been planted a few years back, but everyone had been remarking on how quickly it grew. It now towered almost half again his height, its trunk and branches a whitewashed wooden ivory, it's leaves vibrant and green, no matter the season. Nor had it stopped growing, it was bigger every year, and they'd left more than enough space at the base of the trunk for its roots to expand.

"When you were perhaps six or so, your class would have done a project on gardening," Rohan explained. "The teachers passed out seeds to all the students and you were instructed to plant them in jars of dirt and see if they grew, yes?"

It took him a moment to recall. "Yeah, I remember," Ban replied. "I thought it was weird we were learning how to garden, but the teacher said something about learning to care for life and learn more about ourselves. Or something like that. What about it?"

"During the first night when the jars were left in the classroom, your teachers and we of the White Lotus collected the original jars and replaced them with identical ones and ordinary, regular seeds," he explained. "The original seeds were spirit seeds, collected with great care from the Tree of Time. Are you familiar with it?"

"... don't... think I've heard of it," Ban replied. Meiling likewise shook her head.

"... another time, perhaps, but suffice to say it holds great spiritual power," Rohan went on. "And more importantly, reacts to great spiritual power. In hundreds of classrooms across the length and breadth of the Earth Kingdom, we collected the seeds we gave to students. Each and every one of them failed to bloom, their seeds dormant. All but one."

"... me."

A bob of the tattooed forehead. "Correct. And that seed flourished into this very tree," Rohan said, indicating the great oak in the middle of the gardens.

Ban stepped up to the tree, lightly resting a hand against it. It felt alive to him. Not just in the way most plants would, but it seemed to almost hum underneath his hand. A steady, rhythmic beating. Like drums beating out a slow rhythm. Or a heartbeat.

"I did this?" Ban asked, peering back at the elderly monk.

"You did. And you are only just learning of your full potential," Rohan said with great solemnness. "You will help bring balance to the world."

Meiling's face scrunched up in deep thought. "What does that mean?"

"What she said."

"Ban, you are the Avatar. That means you must master all four elements, and bring balance to the world. Bring us peace and prosperity. It is not an easy undertaking, but it is one you have accomplished before in many lifetimes. And you can do it again."

His stomach felt like it was sinking. "Oh, great, no pressure... I don't suppose there's any way I can opt out of this?"

Rohan smiled, neither shaking his head nor nodding, but the look in his eyes was plain enough. There was no choice. And it was rapidly becoming clear to Ban this was no mistake or fluke either. It was all starting to make a sort of scary sense.

"... oh man... why me?"

"A question we all must ask ourselves from time to time," the aged airbender replied. "But for what it is worth, I have known you since you were little. I have seen your kind heart. If anyone has deserved such a blessing as this, it is you, Ban."

Meiling was absent-mindedly nodding her head as well, but Ban barely noticed. He took off to pacing again, and Rohan quirked a brow as he watched the dirt and sand in the ground beside the path. As Ban walked past, they began to shake and shift, forming ripples, center from where the new Avatar was.

Such power, and at such a young age, but he yet had no control over it, Rohan mused.

There was a muffled bang from inside the house, and they dimly recognized it was a door slamming. Ban knew instantly what it was, and the other two had an inkling.

"That's Mom and Dad... they're home. I guess I'd better go break the news to them..."

How on earth do you explain you're the Avatar? he wondered. Why wasn't there a manual on this stuff?


Briar and Amber Beifong took the news remarkably well. Only one of them fainted.

Once they'd brought Briar back around and Amber served some tea, Rohan explained the situation. It helped that Amber's parents, Bolin and Opal Beifong, had been good friends with Avatar Korra. They understood a great deal of how this sort of thing worked. They'd even known Avatar Korra for much of her early life, she'd made many visits to Zaofu before growing older had forced her to make less frequent forays into the world. But the idea that her reincarnation could happen to be their very own son Ban had simply never crossed their minds.

He wasn't sure if he should be insulted by that thought or comforted by it.


Right now he wasn't really given to much thought at all. It was early the next day, and Ban was upstairs in his room, packing his bags. Selecting which clothes he could bring with him, stuffed into a plain, non-descript backpack. The same one he'd used to carry his books to school. Ban had never been outside of Zaofu before, never had the need to travel, everything had always been right here for him. Yet he was looking around the room of his for the last sixteen years and realizing he might not see it again for a very long time.

He was halfway through folding a shirt when his thoughts turned to such, and he was caught staring out into the open air when a polite cleared throat caught his attention.

Rohan was at the door.

"May I come in?" asked the aged master.

Ban nodded, making room for the older man and clearing some space on his bedside in case he wanted to sit down. His chair was already covered with socks and undergarments of a (reasonably) clean nature he was set to add to the briefcase, and half the floor was a mess. Books fought for space with clothes, and here and there was the occasional gemstone. He'd collected quite a few when he'd been younger, but since given up the hobby. Normally they were on display but he'd knocked it over a few days ago and not been bothered to clean it up.

"I'm almost finished packing," Ban said. "Unless there was something else you needed me to do?"

"No, no, everything is fine, Ban. I've finished making arrangements with the White Lotus," Rohan explained. "All the travel has been set up for you."

"So, I don't suppose being Avatar means we automatically get a first class flight?" Ban asked with some wry amusement. He finished folding the shirt and laid it down atop of the others. Idly he wondered if he was packing too much or too little.

"We're not going by airplane," Rohan said, interrupting his thoughts. "Or zepplin. We're taking the train to Ba Sing Se."

"Train?"

"To maintain a lower profile," he explained. "The Order has decided to keep the news of Korra's passing quiet until such time as you have mastered the four elements. When you're ready to emerge as the new Avatar... then and only then we'll inform the world of the passing of the old one."

He mulled over that a moment before nodding. "I guess that sounds reasonable."

"The White Lotus is not fond of this deception," Rohan protested, feeling uncomfortable with how quickly Ban had agreed with him. "But it was one of the final instructions of Avatar Korra before she passed away. She wanted to ensure her successor was not unduly burdened at such a young age. You have a chance to live your own life while you train to master the four elements."

"As long as nobody knows who I am..." Ban lamented. Then, realizing how much his perception of himself had changed in only a day, added, "I'm not even sure who I am anymore."

"You'll learn."

Ban nodded and shouldered his pack. It felt lighter than he was expecting. But the again, he wasn't taking much, was he? Like the Avatars of old, he was venturing out into the world with little more than the clothes on his back, no need for 'worldly possessions' or such. He'd also managed to sneak a book or two into his bag, but the effort was half-hearted. He didn't feel like reading much at the moment. His thoughts were buzzing enough as it is without a need to learn some new historical saga or fantasy story.

Ban snorted with irony, realizing he was about to become part of a historical saga.

There was another knock on the door, and Ban looked up, half expecting to see his mother or father. Instead, someone else was there. A familiar face.

"Grandpa," Ban greeted, smiling again.

Age had been kind to Bolin Beifong, having maintained a sort of sturdiness well into his old age. While slower than younger men he made up for it with great resiliency, able to weather whatever the world could throw at him as stoicly as a mountain could endure a storm. And while his face was lined with wrinkles, his jade green eyes were clear as ever. His hair had gone gray, but thankfully he still had all of it, a rich head of almost silverish locks and a full but neatly trimmed moustache and beard spread across his face. Photos had once shown him with the most ridiculous handlebar moustache, but Ban had been told his grandmother, Opal, had threatened to leave him if he didn't shave it off. They eventually compromised, and he added the beard to compliment it.

"Hey there, slugger," Bolin greeted him, reaching out to affectionatel tousle his grandson's hair. He'd done it all the time when Ban had been younger, and normally Ban would raise a token protest about being too old for such childish gestures. Yet now, it bespoke of a comfortable familiarity that he desperately needed, and he relaxed under the gesture.

Nodding to his grandson, Bolin also greeted the other elder in the room, offering him a hand. "Rohan... good to see you again."

"And you, Bolin," the other man replied, taking his hand. The two shared a half-hug with their other arms, surprisingly strong even given their respective ages. Proof of a great affection held between them.

"Mind if I have a moment with my grandson?"

The airbending master nodded his tattooed head. "I'll be downstairs."

The youngest son of Tenzin departed, leaving behind only the Beifong's. Who shared an equally awkward moment, wanting to say everything and unsure of where to start. Mercifully, Bolin had practice at working while under pressure thanks to his early career as an actor, and improvised at least a place to start.

"So, I uh... I heard the news. How're you taking it, Ban?"

Nervously rubbing the back of his head, Ban didn't even think about lying. He never could with his family. "Honestly? I have no idea."

Bolin chuckled at that. "Yeah it's a hell of a thing, having the Avatar come into your life and shake things up a bit. I mean, I had to watch it from the outside, but you... you're going to live it."

The words did nothing to bolster Ban's spirits. If anything, he felt only more pressure descend onto his shoulders. Seeing as much in his expression, Bolin gently reached out, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Nervous?"

"... terrified," his grandson replied honestly. Bolin was no truth-seer, but he seemed to always know when Ban was fibbing.

"Don't be. You're not alone in this anymore than Korra was."

Ban smirked, well remembering some of his grandfather's stories. "You were with her at the start, weren't you?"

"That's right. Me, Opal, your great-uncle Mako... Rohan when he got older. We had a whole crew of sorts back in the day," Bolin said, smiling in nostalgia. "Not many of us left anymore..."

"You got old," Ban remarked, not unkindly.

Bolin gave a soft laugh at that. "I did at that."

An awkward silence descended on the room, as Bolin's laughter faded away and he took a good, long look at his grandson, feeling his apprehension rolling off him in waves. On the surface he looked calm and placid, even numb, but in his golden gaze, so much like his brother Mako's, Bolin could see he truly was terrified.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Ban?"

"Do I have a choice?" Ban asked, feeling less and less like he had one by the minute. Nobody had stopped to ask what he wanted to do, everyone was assuming this was his path in life now. He felt trapped.

But Bolin took his grandson by the shoulders and gave him a gentle, but firm shake.

"You always have a choice, Ban. Me and Korra, well... her more than me... we fought to give people a choice. And Avatar or no, you've still got one too. But I think you'll make the right choice."

"Why?"

"'cause you're a good kid," the elder Beifong said with a kindly smile, wrinkles crinkling around his eyes. "Always have been. And now you have a chance to do real goodness. Like no one else can. And hey... even if you make mistakes... learn from them. Get better. Don't try to be perfect, just be good. And everything will work out."

Ban scarcely dared to hope. The invisible burden on his shoulders, while not vanishing, seemed to lighten. "You think so?"

"I know so. Now come on, your mom and dad are making breakfast so we can send you off right. And nobody fries up chicken-horse eggs like your mother."

"I'll uh... I'll be down in a minute," Ban said, wanting to linger just a little in his room. Retreat into the comfort and familiarity for just a few more minutes.

"No pressure," Bolin repeated, turning and departing. Ban watched him go, feeling a little envious. No one had ever expected the poor street rat from Republic City to make anything of himself. Yet he'd become one of the most recognized individuals in the world thanks to his movers and his marriage into the prestigious Beifong family. He'd never needed to do anything, and he'd done everything.

But with Ban... Avatar Ban... people were expecting things. They were very big shoes to fill.

"Yeah, no pressure," he muttered to himself as he left his room for the last time, flicking the lights off, and descended downstairs to say farewell to his parents.


Much as Ban wanted to study under old Cheng, he wasn't a true master of the earthbending arts. Oh, he was an excellent teacher, but his knowledge only extended to the basic forms and the simplest of moves. A far cry from the sort of technique a fully realized Avatar would need to know. And sadly, in this era, bending was very much on the decline. Each year it seemed the bending population of each nation was dropping more and more. Children of prestigious families were showing less and less talent for the bending arts, and in some cases none at all. Ban and Meiling's school, easily full of a hundred students, only held a dozen or so who had any bending ability. Like Wedge. The rest, regardless of their parentage and national heritage, were non-benders.

It was a dying art, some thought.

Others thought perhaps it was simply in flux, that like the coming and going of the tides, it would restore itself to equilibrium soon, and there'd be a rise of benders in the next generation. Whatever the case, the fact remained that not everyone had the ability. For the longest time, Ban had thought himself one of these, and he'd long ago made peace with the fact.

And now...

Now he was the Avatar, and they needed to find a true master of the art to teach him. All of them. But first thing came first, and that was earthbending, so it was they took the name of one of Bolin's old students who lived in Ba Sing Se. He would instruct Ban in the art of earthbending.

A farewell hug later and Ban was stepping out of his home, giving a final farewell to Briar and Amber Beifong, his parents. They seemed determined to wave until their arms fell off, or else he was entirely out of view, for they were nearly at the next intersection before he glanced back and saw no sign of them. And that sinking feeling in his stomach returned. He was well and truly leaving home now.

"BAN!"

Jiao gave a yip of delight by his heel as Ban turned to see Meiling come speeding down the sidewalk towards them.

"BAAAaaaAAAaaaAAAN!"

He quirked an eyebrow as he stood there, letting her approach. Rohan had likely stopped, watching with some puzzlement if this was another farewell the Avatar had to see to before he could depart. But Ban got the sinking suspicion there was more to it than that. For one thing, Meiling was wearing her backpack same as he was, despite it not being a school day. And it seemed a bit more full than he previously remembered it ever looking. It wasn't just books she was carrying this time.

She sprinted right up to him, then had to catch her breath, grasping her knees as she bent over, sucking in lungfuls of air. He folded his arms and waited patiently.

"I'm...! Coming...! With you...!" she explained between gasps of air. "Oooh... lemme... catch... my breath..."

"Out of the question," Rohan replied immediately, if not unkindly. His tone was gentle as he rebuked her claim. "This is Ban's journey."

"Right... I know that," she said, standing more upright and taking fewer breaths. "Look I get this is important and Ban needs to master all four elements and everything, but I'm coming too. He needs me. I look after him."

Ban quirked an eyebrow, pretty sure she meant that the other way around. "What about your mom?"

"She says I can come!" Meiling shot back quickly. Too quickly.

Pinned under the gaze of the other two, the blonde cracked in minutes. "Okay she might be under the impression this is more like a short term vacation I'm taking with Ban until the school season picks up and Rohan is like some eccentric extracurricular mentor program teacher," she explained. "Maybe."

"Meiling..."

"If you don't let me come I'll tell," she swiftly promised. "I will tell every single person I know, I will rent out space in a newspaper, I will go on VV and shout at the top of my lun-!"

Ban swiftly stepped up to her and slapped a hand over her mouth. Her voice was starting to carry. Without removing his hand, he glanced back at the elderly monk. "Perhaps its best we simply let her come," he implored Rohan. "Meiling means what she says, and even if she didn't, she talks too much. Someone might find out by accident."

Meiling's eyes narrowed and she tried to make a retort, but it was thankfully muffled.

The air master glanced between the two of them as Meiling finally freed herself from Ban's grip, complaining loudly about how he didn't need to gag her to shut her up. Their interaction was, on the surface, loud and violent, even antagonistic, but Rohan recalled well enough how willing they had been ready to defend one another from the thugs in the alleyway. The two of them were close, easily best friends, if not truly like brother and sister. To separate them would be unkind and cruel.

And there was the matter of Korra's last wishes. She'd specifically requested in her final will to the White Lotus for the new Avatar to be allowed, even encouraged, to have friends their own age. Well remembering her life growing up isolated in a compound with only ancient masters and her parents to see her, Korra did not wish to repeat the mistake with the new generation.

Much as Rohan wished he could contact his superiors in the White Lotus, he had to make the choice and he had to make it now. And really, what other choice could he make with such a situation?

"Very well," Rohan said with a soft little sigh. "Meiling may come."

"Suh-weet!" The blonde firebender punched the air as she gave a leap of victory. "This is gonna be SO awesome!"

Ban managed a weary smile. Meiling could be exhausting to keep up with, but she was good to be around. Moreso now than ever. With everything changing in his life so rapidly, she was a singular source of constant familiarity. That he was going to get to keep her in his life was a welcome relief.


Authors Notes:
Please review if you've enjoyed.

It took me a while to come up with a suitable idea for identifying a new Avatar. I figured with the line of Wan gone, they'd need a new method, and it had to be something both subtle and meaningful to figure out who it was. Finding four toys amongst hundreds would seem far too obvious to me. I went through several ideas before settling onto the spirit seed idea. And it set up elements for future development, namely the tree.

While I wanted to use a real quote of Kiyi's (those unfamiliar with her, go read the Interquel comics, she's a treat), she doesn't really have much dialogue, so I had to make something up. Still fits her character.

Of course Meiling is coming along, she's an essential part of the new Team Avatar, even if she and Ban don't realize it yet. Plus I figured Korra would leave directions for her successor the same way Aang did for her, and tweak them according to her own experiences. Having friends is essential to maintaining a well-rounded Avatar. Naturally, this will lead to another character in the next chapter: Willow.

Next time: The Changing Winds.