#shadowhaven!tilly

As always, there will be spoilers for future books/seasons

So, this was originally going to be just a character detail piece for just Queen Amelie. But then I realized talking about the Queen would mean talking about Shadowhaven. And because I introduced the 'Tilly is from Shadowhaven' theory I knew I had to bring her into this.

So this has become a pseudo-2 character post.

Amelie's outfits both are virtual representations to the ties to her two families. As well as how she fits within them.

The dress we're introduced to her in has matching colors to that of Leopold himself. And by matching...

I mean the colors are nearly identical. The burgundy and metallic gold on Amelie's dress matches to her King, rather than the more saturated colors on their son, Lucas.

Her earrings correlate to Leopold's collar (a visual representation of his lion's mane) and her choker is similarly shaped to his crown (formerly Wergar's). But pointing down, like daggers to her throat.

Then there's her hairpiece, claws grasping her head. Much like the rest of her design, it's an unsubtle visualization of her imprisonment.

She's made into the subservient Queen to Leopold's Conquering King. Erasing her lycanthropy, her past with Wergar and her people. A line from Lucas feels very ... apt.

“He’ll [the Wolf, Drew] soon be forgotten. And all you need to do is sit and smile for the rest of your life.”

Sounds like something Leopold told Amelie before he executed Wergar and his kin.

Amelie is one of only four characters in Wolf King to get a second outfit. And where her Queen's gown tied her to Leopold and the Lions, her second set of clothes ties her to Wergar and the Wolves.

(I apologize this is the best quality near-full body shot I could get of this outfit)

She has the blue and greys that Drew has been dressed in all season and the mural of Wergar in Brackenholme is painted. But with added white, connecting her to her White Wolf heritage.

Her hair piece is no longer the solid gold claws, but small steely grey ornaments. Other than the armor pieces on her clothing, her outfit is otherwise non decorative. The presence of the armor, regardless of being decorative, implies at least an expectation of her being a warrior.

I'll start this next part by say that I still believe Wolf King will portray the White Wolves of Shadowhaven as an indigenous arctic people. Miloqi and Mikotaj are too indigenous coded in the books for that to not be present somewhat in the series.

That aside, I'm sort of just ... whelmed by how Amelie looks.

In truth, Tilly is closer to how I imagined Amelie in the books.

As @angstybreadstyx has pointed out, Tilly is very indigenous coded within the series. Heck I picked these up in the official trailer and made the 'Tilly is from Shadowhaven' theory because of those details. And yet Amelie has no such visual cues in her design.

Now, there is a possible explanation for this. Shadowhaven's ruling family may just be more inclined towards the cultures of western Lyssia. While their people continue their own practices and traditions.

So, this theory largely spawned from just the details on Tilly's character. She was born and raised in Shadowhaven. At some point she became a member of Amelie's staff. Eventually going to Highcliff with her when Amelie became Queen. Just a simple and fun headcanon for a character that we get very little lore on in the books.

Then Wolf King drops, we learn Bergan, Manfred and Vega swore oaths of protection and loyalty to Drew when he was born. And in Amelie's first verbal exchange with Drew she refers to Tilly by name. Mind you, a minute after coming out of a - likely years long - tea induced hypnosis.

This wasn't just a Queen and some maid, these two women KNEW each other.

Knew each other enough that Amelie trusted Tilly with her youngest child. Not to deliver him to one of the men who swore oaths to him at birth. To raise Drew as her own.

So where did this trust derive from?

In terms of her parentage, you could kind of do whatever seems interesting for you. For me? Tilly's father was a tradesman in Shadowhaven, while her mother was a caribou herder from the valleys to the west.

She grew up in Shadowhaven's markets, around traders from the Dalelands to Omir's Red Coast arriving for Sturmish goods.

It was in these markets that she met Amelie for the first time when they were girls. As the ruling nobility of House Amarok (or House Bayanai if you prefer) would regularly visit the markets to ensure their city's trade economy was prospering. Amelie happened to walk up to Tilly's father's stall and Tilly tried to sell her caribou pelts.

Give the girl a break, there's likely a fair number of White Wolves in Shadowhaven. What were the chances the girl she was talking to was the Count’s daughter?

One revelation and an awkward, unnecessary apology later the two of them leave on a friendly note. The next time Amelie came to the markets with her parents she went straight to Tilly's stall to talk to her new friend.

As she did the next time.

And the next time...

And the next time.

Eventually she'd leave the estate just to meet with Tilly.

The two of them would talk about various things. Tilly often told stories of the tradesmen that arrived in town or what her mother's tribe was doing in the western valley. Amelie informed Tilly of the latest gossip spreading in the noble courts. A few of which likely concerned the Prince, Wergar and his growing entourage of friends among the young lords of Lyssia. And the chaos that follows them.

Years go by, and Tilly and Amelie continue to be close. Amelie sometimes even inviting Tilly to events at the Count’s estate. I imagine she ran into numerous lords and ladies we know.

Bergan, Huth, Manfred, Mikkel, Henrik, Greta, possibly even a then prince Fasal. If and when the Jackals and the Wolves weren't at each other's throats.

Eventually Amelie and Wergar fell in love and were engaged. When Amelie was preparing to move to Highcliff, she asked Tilly to join her as her handmaid.

"We're Werelords, the courts are an eat or be eaten world. It's easier to survive with others that have your back. Wergar has his pack, it would be nice if I could bring a member of mine."

And so Tilly goes to Highcliff with Amelie and the rest is history.

Now, this isn't directly Shadowhaven!Tilly related, but I do have my own personal headcanon on how Tilly and Mack met.

Wergar, believing his future Queen should be readily equipped to defend herself, offered the services of one of his guards (one who's been stuck with him for nearly 10 years at that point). A one Mack Ferran. Tilly would join in on the training sessions from time to time and their romance blossomed from there.

Their first 'date' was at the inn in All Hallows Bay where the Hostage Trio met Vega.

Lastly, to explain the 'Pack Parenting' tag I put in Amelie's character detail post as well as this post. I'm going to put it simply and not elaborate in this post. But if anyone wants me to elaborate, you are free to ask me.

Pack Parenting