Veronyka Ashfire/Relationships

**Spoilers Abound!**  This page contains SPOILERS! Have you finished all that's been released? If not, DON'T READ THIS, PLEASE.

## Family

### Tristan Flamesong (lover)

Veronyka's initial opinion of Tristan isn't very high, as Tristan desperately wanted her to be a threat. It gets lower when he disrespects her after she had saved him. However, Commander Cassian forces them to work together. Tristan quickly ends up apologizing, and from their their friendship grows. She helps him train to become a Master Rider, and helps him with his fear of fire. He offers to help her train to be an apprentice, and sponsor her. When Veronyka's revealed to be a girl, he doesn't get angry at her, and instead asks her is she still wants to defend the Eyrie with him, and takes her advice. While still shocked and hurt, he never said anything truly harmful. Shadowmagic begins to link them both together, bonding them. He then starts helping her train to become a Master Rider, and both of them develop romantic feelings for the other. While the bond between them makes things difficult, she decides to not tell him in both fear of losing her only friend, and fear of putting him in danger.  However the truth comes out, along with the truth, and he feels betrayed at all the secrets. While he says some harmful things, he goes to her and apologizes, and offers to support her. From there, their relationship gets awkward, as they both want to date each other, but fear for the consequences. Eventually they kiss, though things go wrong, and she's forced to leave him. Unfortunately, because they suppressed their bond, it isn't strong. When he gets captured, she vows to get him back, and is willing to turn herself in, but only doesn't because Cassian told her to wait.

### Xephyra (bondmate)

Veronyka had always wanted to be a phoenix rider, so when Xephyra hatches, she treats her with love. Val always wants her to command her, but she knows that animals are not to be commanded, especially her own bondmate. Despite the fact that they hadn't know each other for long, Veronyka is deeply upset over Xephyra's death. However, she locked away all her feelings so she could focus. It's something she regrets, as her bondmate comes back to life and she doesn't notice. When Xephyra finds Veronyka, the phoenix is confused, but Veronyka does her best to calm her down, and they quickly rebuild their friendship. Their bond grows stronger as they playfully bicker, but trust each other deeply. Xephyra is shown to be mischievous, but very level headed, as she helps Veronyka talk things over with Tristan . It's evident that they trust each other with their lives, when Veronyka ends up falling, and Xephyra uses her body to cushion the fall, while hurting herself, along with taking the blow of an ignited phoenix. They truly love each other.

### Avalkyra Ashfire/Val (aunt/adoptive sister)

Veronyka's relationship with Val is complicated. She's always loved and admired her, even though she could be brash sometimes. But she chalks it up to being protective, until Val kills her bondmate, Xephyra. This makes her realize that Val is actually controlling, and in a fit of rage she left. She goes out of her way to block Val out of her mind. When Val arrives at the Eyrie, Veronyka refuses to go back with her, and even declares that she hates her, but deep inside she knows it isn't true. On the other hand, she's always admired the tenacity of Avalkyra Ashfire, but she slowly begins to learn that Avalkyra did a lot that hurt her people. When Val reveals that she's Avalkyra, she gets confused, but stands by her decision to not join her. She dislikes the fact that Val always refused to tell her things, even something as important as her own identity. Eventually, she's forced to join Val, and Veronyka starts to wonder if there's still good in her, despite everything that has happened. But when Val tries to marry her off, she rebels, vowing to never let Avalkyra Ashfire have her way. But even when Val almost gets her killed, she still finds herself worried about her, and hopes that she still lives. She knows that it's been tough, but she'll always try to look for the good.

Val and Veronyka's relationship fractures when she is kidnapped, and when Val raises a flock, her Benex is Veronyka, but too fractured to work. Veronyka doesn't submit to her. Veronyka ends up, even so, trying to redeem her aunt

### Ilithya Shadowheart (*maiora*)

Ilithya had taken Veronyka when she was a baby, and had introduced herself as her *maiora*, or grandmother. For all her life, Veronyka believes that her parents were phoenix riders and had died. Her, Ilithya and Val lived together. Ilithya had been kind to her, and taught her to be compassionate. Veronyka loves her, and grieved when Ilithya was supposedly killed by soldiers. When she learns that Ilithya had lived, she yelled at Val, wanting to know why they couldn't see her at least one more time. But when she learns that Ilithya was Ilithya Shadowheart, Avalkyra Ashfire's spymaster, her feelings get a little more complicated. She still loves her *maiora,* and Ilithya loved her back, as she would have Veronyka as co-ruler alongside Val, or not at all.

### Pheronia

Veronyka grew up learning the biased account of the Blood War with Pheronia as weak. However, her opinion changes later on, and she begins to see Pheronia for what she was: a strong-willed, caring woman.

### Alexiya (aunt)

Veronyka met Alexiya in Arboria, and they became close quickly. She and Theryn may be on questionable terms, but Alexiya still resolves to try to get Theryn to meet Veronyka.

## Friends

### Rex

While it's not shown much, but Rex and her are friends. They mostly bond over their mutual adoration for Tristan. They both strive to protect him, and when she asks him to be careful with him, he gets offended. Veronyka knows he will, and Rex knows this--it was a thing between friends, even so.

### Cassian

Her first opinion of Cassian was that he looked regal, which is to be expected; he was raised to be abd was a governor. She has a neutral opinion about him, but admires that he rebuilt the Phoenix Riders. However, she doesn't like his rule about not accepting girl recruits. Her opinion of him starts to decrease as she learns about the way he treats Tristan, and about the breeding cages. As the relationship between him and Tristan gets better, she's able to appreciate him some more. When Tristan gets captured, she's disgusted by how he was willing to negotiate, but trusts him to make the right decision. She knows that despite his actions, he cares for Tristan so much. Veronyka pledges her allegiance to him, claiming that she's just another rider in his flock.

### Sev

Their first encounter is when some soldiers raid her house, and she stumbles upon Sev. He tells her to hide, but she refuses to listen, as he's a soldier. But in the end, she ends up listening, and her life is saved. When Val finds them, Veronyka saves his life by convincing Val to not kill him. They don't get to know each other for long, as their paths diverge multiple times. She almost hurts him during a battle, but doesn't. And he cares enough about her that he tries to rescue her. She asks him to free Xephyra using her shadowmagic, and he listens to her. Their friendship will grow stronger as she might befriend his lover Kade, and he'll befriend her love interest Tristan.

### Kade

As of Heart of Flames, they haven't really had any interactions, but in the next book, they'll be working together to free the ones they love.