What if Kale Won? – Guest Post by Lisa Dawn

Hi Jewel Fans! We’re back with another amazing post from Friend of the Archive Lisa Dawn! She’s the go-to for all things Princesses over at her site The Princess Blog, and we’re so excited to share another Jewel Riders post from her with all of you!

Both seasons of Jewel Riders ended with a two-part battle in which their opponent had a moment of glory. The first season concludes with “Revenge of the Dark Stone” and “Full Circle,” where Kale succeeds in tuning the Crown Jewels herself. She has a grand old time turning the Crystal Palace into her own radio station until the Jewel Riders restore their magic and defeat her. In the series finale arc, “Spirit of Avalon” and “The One Jewel,” Morgana betrays Kale and the ancient wizards of the past by claiming all of the Wizard Jewels for herself. What would have happened if Kale had not been turned to stone and had the opportunity to become the most powerful wizard in Avalon?

The biggest difference between Princess Gwenevere and her Aunt Kale is that Gwen wants to share the magic of Avalon with her friends and her people, while Kale wants it all for herself. This power struggle is hinted to be part of Avalon’s backstory before Princess Gwenevere or Queen Anya were born. Like Gwenevere and her mother, Merlin also wanted to share the magic of Avalon, which is why he bound all of the good wizards in the Circle of Friendship many years before the Jewel Riders’ adventure began. As far as we know, Merlin is the only good wizard remaining, which is why the owners of the Wizard Jewels are followers of his rival, Morgana.

If Kale were still in the picture, history would have an opportunity to repeat itself. Morgana is far too selfish to share the power of her Dark Stone with Kale, so when the fate of Avalon is at stake, Kale’s rivalry with Morgana would mirror Merlin’s. Neither of them would be willing to share the power of the Wizard Jewels, so they would continue to clash until there is a victor. Let’s face it. Morgana has always been more powerful than Kale, who would have no magic at all without the Dark Stone. If they were to clash individually, Morgana would reclaim her Dark Stone every time and defeat Kale.

However, another possibility exists for Kale. The Jewel Riders have proven time and again that friendship is the most powerful magic of all. If Kale had been willing to put her pride aside, it is possible that she could successfully defeat Morgana using the power of friendship by making amends with her sister and her niece. During the climax of “The One Jewel,” Princess Gwenevere proves that light is more powerful than darkness by transforming the Dark Stone into another Sun Stone. If Kale had survived Morgana’s betrayal and decided to take revenge on her by any means necessary, she could have claimed this new Sun Stone and become another Jewel Rider, fighting on the side of goodness. Of course, this would also mean that she would need to train under Merlin, something that she may be too stubborn to ever agree to.

In the episode “Dreamfields,” Kale proves that there is some underlying goodness hidden deep within her heart that she would never admit to. Unfortunately, this dream was never meant to be as Morgana overshadows her in every way possible during the show’s second and final season. Kale always had the opportunity to do the right thing and restore her bond with her family, but she let her jealousy over her sister becoming queen overwhelm her, so that opportunity could never present itself. In an alternate future, perhaps Kale could have successfully defeated Morgana, but she would need to learn to share the magic and use the power of friendship if she ever wished to stand a chance.

If you’d like to read a fan fiction that asks the question, what if Kale got the Sun Stone instead of Anya, check out Chris’s fic “Queen Kale” either here at the site or over  at AO3!