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| “ | 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 Warner Brothers' 1998 animated feature film Quest for Camelot. She is a young woman who wants to become a knight like her late 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, who also voiced Hannah Phillips from Toy Story.
Personality[]
Kayley is a brave and strong-willed young woman, who wants more than anything to become a knight like her father. Kayley is definitely a tomboy, dressing in boyish clothing and much preferring horse riding and sword fighting to wearing pretty clothes and doing farm work. Kayley's determination often leads her to acting before she thinks and she constantly talks as well, but over the course of the film, she learns to be more patient. Kayley expresses deep remorse when her actions cause others to be hurt - even inadvertently. Although, despite tragically losing her father at a young age, Kayley retains a positive, can-do attitude, and inspires courage and goodwill in others.
Appearance[]
Kayley is a slender, young woman with fair skin, long dark red hair, brown eyes, and pink lips.
When she was a child, she wore a gray long-sleeved tunic with a blue cape, light gray pants and brown shoes.
When she is a young woman, she has a gold headband and her hair is in a ponytail with a gold hair-tie, she wore a purple tunic with two dark purple laces and collar (red in merchandising), underneath is a dark yellow long sleeved shirt and a long sleeved light blue shirt underneath, around her waist is a dark purple sash (red in merchandising), she wore light blue tight pants and brown ankle boots with dark brown cuffs.
During the knighting ceremony at the end of the film, Kayley wears a sparkling white dress and a circle of flowers on her head.
History[]
Kayley as a little girl.
In the beginning of the story, Kayley is introduced as a young girl, about or nearly ten years old. She begs her father Sir Lionel to tell her the story of how Camelot was first made and Arthur was crowned king by pulling Excalibur from a stone (which was also the day Kayley was born), 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. 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.
Kayley thanking Garrett for saving her life.
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.
Kayley tending to Garrett.
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 close they become, 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.
Kayley falling in love with Garrett.
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. 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 the ogre 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 squash the Ruber and his henchmen, 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, however, kidnapping Kayley and stealing 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 traveling 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 free herself 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. Kayley arrives in the nick of time to stop Ruber from killing the injured King Arthur, as she swings down on a large block of wood and knocks the evil knight 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'.
Trivia[]
- Kayley is loosely based on Lynette, the protagonist of the 1976 novel The King's Damosel.
- Kayley is one of the most forgotten heroines, presumably for her movie's lack of success at the box office. Despite this, many people discovered her and loved her for her nobility and free spirit.
- 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).
- Jennifer Connelly, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston, Jenna Elfman, Julia Sawalha and Drew Barrymore were all briefly considered for the role of Kayley, although Aniston would later voice Annie Hughes in The Iron Giant.
- Though many fans have assumed Kayley is approximately 18 years old, it's more likely that she is 20.
- At the beginning of the movie, Sir Lionel tells her that "On the very day you were born" Arthur pulled the sword from the stone.
- During the first song of the film, Arthur sings "It's been 10 years, we celebrate all that made our kingdom great.", meaning Kayley is 10 years old when she loses her father.
- Shortly before Arthur is attacked by Griffin later, he says "In the 10 years after Sir Lionel's death--", indicating that Kayley would be 20 during the events of the movie.
- Her song, "On My Father's Wings" is very similar to Aladdin's song, "One Jump Ahead" from Disney's Aladdin.
- She and Garrett's duet, "Looking Through Your Eyes" is very similar to Aladdin and Jasmine's duet, "A Whole New World" from Disney's Aladdin.
- As is mentioned in the Quest for Camelot Audio Action-Adventure, Kayley has a daughter who inherits her feisty nature and is King Arthur's niece.