Kayley

""But I want to be a knight. Going on grand adventures, fighting evil, rescuing damsels in distress. What is a damsel, anyway?"

- Kayley longing to be a knight.

Kayley is the main protagonist of Quest For Camelot. She is a tomboyishly beautiful teenage girl who wants to become a knight like her father. She will do anything to bring Excalibur back to King Arthur and save her family. Kayley won't let any rule, tradition, thug, warlord, or monster stand in her way.

She was voiced by Jessalyn Gilsig with Andrea Corr doing her singing voice and Sarah Freeman (credited as Sarah Rayne) as her younger self.

History
In the beginning of the story, Kayley is introduced as a young little girl, perhaps eight years old. She begs her father Sir Lionel to tell her the story of how Camelot was first made and Arthur was crowned king, despite having heard it many times before. Before leaving for a meeting at the Round Table, her father promises her that some day he will take her to see Camelot. Unfortunately that promise is never fulfilled, with Sir Lionel being killed in defense of King Arthur against the evil knight Ruber.

Despite the early loss of her father, Kayley grows into an adventurous and cheerful young woman. Approximately eighteen years old at the time of the movie's main plot, she dreams of breaking free from the daily grind of chores and seeking out her own chance at honor and glory. Her mother Lady Juliana has other ideas though, including trying to keep her daughter close and getting her into the occasional dress.

When Ruber and his men attack their home and take both women captive, Kayley is thrown straight into the adventure she had been craving. The sudden reality of it seems to startle her though, and she requires some prompting from her mother to take advantage of an opportunity to slip away and warn Camelot. Nonetheless, Kayley is quick to decide against taking the main road, instead riding straight into the wild and dangerous Forbidden Forest in search of Excalibur. Pursued by Ruber's minions, she attempts to outrun them and falls headfirst into a fishing net in a pool.

The net belongs to Garrett, a blind hermit who lives in the Forbidden Forest along with a silver-winged falcon named Ayden. Thinking she's found an ally, Kayley attempts to be friendly to Garrett but for the most part is rebuffed with sarcasm. Eventually though she does manage to convince him to accompany her in the search for Excalibur, although he does so begrudgingly. Her unflappable chatter and lack of attention nearly get her into trouble a few times, leaving Garrett to beat back the Forest and it's obstacles. The two of them make it into Dragon Country though, where they encounter a two-headed dragon by the name(s) of Devon and Cornwall. Cornwall, as per his nature, tries to flirt with Kayley, amusing her and subtly irritating Garrett. The new foursome dodge dragons and Ruber, but manage to make it clear of Dragon Country.

Despite Kayley's protests that they ought to push on, they stop for a night, and Garrett gives her some lessons in staff-fighting. Devon and Cornwall, seeing how touchy-feely the two were getting take a moment to tease Garrett behind Kayley's back. The next morning though they find the sheath of Excalibur, along with a set of enormous ogre footprints. Kayley, thinking they've missed their chance at the sword, berates Garrett for making the stop the night before. Her haranguing prevents Garrett from hearing Ayden's warning that Ruber and his men have caught up. Ruber shoots an arrow and wounds Garrett, leaving Kayley to provoke the nearby trees into grabbing at Ruber and his men. She half-carries Garrett to safety, along with Devon and Cornwall.

As it rains outside the shelter, Kayley tends to Garrett's wound with some of the plants he showed her earlier. She blames herself for Garrett having been hurt, but he forgives her almost immediately, if he ever even was mad. The healing plants take effect quickly, and the two of them walk in the damp forest, reveling in a new-found attraction for one another.

The next day, Ayden leads them to the lair of the ogre who has Excalibur, known as Uncle Yorik. By holding one another's ankles and leaning over a ledge, the others are able to lower the much-lighter Kayley down far enough to get to the sword. Even when Uncle Yorik briefly awakens, Kayley is able to soothe him long enough to accomplish the task at hand. Conveniently, the ogre then awakens just in time to smash Ruber and his men, who were creeping up on the heroes.

When it comes time to leave the Forbidden Forest behind, Garrett balks and hands Excalibur to Kayley, insisting that she return the sword to King Arthur without him. Although saddened, she bravely continues on with Devon and Cornwall. Ruber has been lying in wait though, and captures her and the sword. To her terror, Ruber uses his magic potion to fuse it to his own arm. She is then thrown into one of the travelling wagons and reunited with her mother. The reunion is short-lived though, with Lady Juliana being forced to get Ruber past the gates of Camelot to save her daughter.

With the help of the converted axe-chicken Bladebeak, Kayley manages to break free of her captor inside the wagon and warn the knights. A fight ensures, and she attempts to get into the sealed castle to help King Arthur who is trapped inside with Ruber. Although she is nearly knocked straight off a high castle wall by two of Ruber's minions, Garrett, Devon and Cornwall arrive just in time to help. While the two dragons fight Ruber's griffin in midair, she and Garrett get inside the castle. They are just in time to prevent Ruber from killing the injured King Arthur; Kayley swings down on a large block of wood and knocks Ruber through out a window.

Kayley evades Ruber around the courtyard of the Sword in the Stone, but is without a weapon and unable to fight him. Although Garrett tries to help, his wooden staff is quickly broken, and without Ayden as his eyes, he is essentially helpless. Kayley remembers what he told her earlier about holding her ground until the last possible moment, and with Garrett, she tricks Ruber into stabbing Excalibur into the stone. The magic of the sword and stone disintegrates Ruber, turning his men back into humans (as well as Bladebeak into a chicken) and healing King Arthur. Drawing Excalibur once again from the sword, Arthur re-asserts himself as king.

Shortly thereafter, Kayley along with Garrett are knighted as members of the Round Table. Ironically, she is wearing the finished dress that her mother could barely convince her to try on at the beginning of the story. Carrying her father Sir Lionel's shield, given to her by Lady Juliana, Kayley finally fulfills her dream of knighthood and glory. Handing off her shield to the king, she and Garrett then dance at their ceremony and share their first kiss. With Kayley at the reigns, the two of them ride off into the hills together on a horse with a sign that says 'Just Knighted'.

Similar Heroes

 * Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
 * Princess Merida (Disney/Pixar's Brave)
 * Aladdin (Disney's Aladdin)
 * Jen (The Dark Crystal)
 * Gia Moran (Power Rangers Megaforce)
 * Ginger (Chicken Run)
 * Princess Anna (Disney's Frozen)
 * Judy Hopps (Zootopia)
 * Jo Harding (Twister)
 * Lucina (Fire Emblem)
 * Simba (The Lion King)
 * Mulan (Disney's Mulan)

Trivia

 * Kayley is one of the most forgotten heroines, presumably for her movie's lack of success at the box office. Nevertheless, many people discovered this character and loved her for her nobility and free spirit.
 * Kayley's looks are very similar to Belle's, except for having amber eyes, more auburn in her hair, and less cartoony features.
 * Unlike most heroines, her motivation was neither love or trying to save someone, but to get away from her chores, since she is restricted because of her gender and caste system. This later turns into trying to save someone (in this case, her mother and her kingdom).
 * Though she is the opposite gender, Kayley has a few other similarities to Aladdin:
 * Both are main characters.
 * Also, Aladdin is a male while Kayley is a female.
 * Both have lost a family member of the opposite.
 * Both wear purple in their outfits.
 * Both are poor.
 * Both are daring and headstrong.
 * Both dreamed of something important to their lives (Aladdin living in the palace, Kayley becoming a knight).
 * Both are forbidden to do something (peasants marrying royalty, young girls saving kingdoms).
 * Both have animal companions (Abu for Aladdin, Ayden for Kayley).
 * Both have comic relief friends (Genie and Iago for Aladdin, Devon and Cornwall for Kayley).
 * Both fell in love with someone (Jasmine for Aladdin, Garrett for Kayley).
 * Both try to save their kingdoms (Agrabah for Aladdin, Camelot for Kayley).
 * Both had to face villains who attempted to take over their kingdoms (Jafar for Aladdin, Ruber for Kayley).
 * Both gain royalty by marriage in the end.
 * Kayley is very similar to Simba from Disney's 1994 animated film The Lion King:
 * Both were fun loving and kind when they were little.
 * Both have fathers who protect their kingdoms (even though Mufasa is the king, Lionel was one of the knights of King Arthur).
 * Both lost their fathers who were killed by the main antagonists.
 * Both are in love with their love interests (Nala to Simba, Garrett to Kayley).
 * Both have two friends (Timon and Pumbaa to Simba, Devon and Cornwall to Kayley).
 * Both realize the truth about their fathers' deaths, which they average their fathers' deaths by fighting the main antagonists (Scar to Simba, Ruber to Kayley).
 * Both were reunited with their friends and family.
 * Both were married to their love interests at the end (Unlike Kayley, Simba and Nala have children, which Kayley doesn't).