Jade Claymore

Jade Claymore is one of the main characters in the Disney+ series Willow. She is a warrior from the Kingdom of Tir Asleen who dreams of one day becoming a full-fledged knight, though this conflicts with her feelings for her best friend, Princess Kit Tanthalos, whom she is very much in love with. Following the kidnapping of Prince Airk, Jade joined Kit on an adventure to rescue her twin brother from the terrible witch Bavmorda. During the layover in the Wildwood, Jade learned that she is actually the daughter of the late Bavmorda's commander, General Kael.
==Background ==
Born from the union of the evil General Kael and an unnamed woman, Jade was taken to Tir Asleen following the death of her father at the hands of Madmartigan and her mother at the hands of the soldiers who then took Jade a toddler in Tir Asleen where she was partially raised by Commander Ballantine but never knew the truth about her origins, only a lie that her parents had been killed crossing the Barrier by the Bone Reavers. According to Scorpia, Jade loved looking at the stars when she was little and always counted them to make sure there were always as many.
Ballantine notably taught her to use her anger as a weapon to fight. She would later meet Princess Kit Tanthalos after Queen Sorsha asked her to train with her, culminating in the two girls becoming friends and slowly developing romantic feelings. Throughout practice, Jade always let Kit win without ever telling her.
===Personality ===
Jade is a kind-hearted, playful, sympathetic, and lucid young woman but devoid of strong ambition, having only the simple desire to serve the queen and defend Tir Asleen, hoping above all to win the repeal of her adoptive father. Like most people, she believes in the prophecy of Elora Danan, swearing herself allegiance to the young girl, with whom she ends up forging bonds of friendship much stronger than her personal beliefs. She loved and greatly respected Ballantine since he was her only father figure in her life and was devastated when she was forced to kill him while he was being corrupted by The Lich.
Following the revelation of her true lineage, Jade's personality has become much more relaxed and fulfilled. She quickly grew closer to her sister Scorpia and felt like she belonged among the Bones Rivers she had previously despised, considering perhaps staying with them once the rescue was over. Even upon learning who her father was, Jade couldn't care less about that bond, choosing to define herself by who she is, neither judging Scorpia for her kinship with Kael.
Due to her romantic feelings for Kit, Jade is often conflicted between her own outlook on things and Kit's more independent outlook on life. If she likes her, she does not particularly support her opinions generally opposed to hers and will always try to reason with her, which ends most of the time in disputes which they nevertheless manage to resolve. Jade has also been shown to lack objectivity, never training to the fullest with Kit because she didn't believe she would ever have to fight for her life and hiding it from her until she finally did. to confess out of guilt to not being fundamentally honest with Kit. Just as she can accidentally hurt Kit's feelings, Jade is even more emotional, stating that she is heartbroken after Kit willfully hides her suspicions about Jade's origins from her. They later reconcile when they put their parent's past behind them, and sincerely confess their mutual love they have long felt for each other.
===Physical appearance===
Jade is a young redhead woman with hazel eyes, long wavy hair, freckles from her chin to her forehead, and thick lips. In terms of build, Jade is of average height, in optimal physical condition, broad shoulders and slightly muscular arms.
===Abilities===
*Skillful fighter: Trained from a young age, Jade is an accomplished sword warrior. She always lost in sword training against Kit because she never gave it her all, but it turned out later that the two young women were equal to each other. Jade also possesses some notion of unarmed combat, having briefly rivaled her older sister, Scorpia in combat, using a leg lock and an overhand grip, before finally being overpowered. She is also good at throwing shuriken. She was also able to knock out a supervisor troll with her bare hands.
*Knight training: Having trained all her life hoping one day to join the knighthood, Jade masters most of the assets that make a knight, namely determination, mastery of horseback riding and combat.
*Excellent physical condition: Jade's multiple combat trainings have made such a strong young woman with the physical condition worthy of an adventurer. She has shown to have enough strength to knock down Scorpia, a grown woman barely bigger than her, and take a punch from the Scourge against a wall without serious injury. She has enough strength to fight against humans enhanced by dark magic.
==Appearances==
===Willow===
In "The Gales", Jade and Kit practice sword fighting on the edge of a cliff until Jade ends up knocked down. Jade claims she almost won, leading Kit to brag about her talent which Jade amusedly declares to be arrogance, ensuing a childish conversation about who will remain the best. Kit then expresses her desire to leave Tir Asleen to experience the adventure the two of them doubtless dreamed of. Before Jade can confide anything in Kit, the two girls are interrupted by a messenger informing them that the queen demands that they return to the palace for the ball tonight. Back at the castle, Jade gets begged by Kit to come to the ball despite her discomfort wearing a dress, which she accepts for Kit swearing she couldn't bear it without her.
When the ball comes, Jade unmolds her uncomfortable dress before being approached by Ballantine who encourages her to talk with Kit about what she have to tell her. At the table, Kit and Jade make fun of Prince Graydon Hastur of Galladoorn and Airk flirting with girls, before Sorsha points out to the guests that an arranged marriage will take place between Kit and Graydon tomorrow, not to the pleasure of the two friends. As they dance together, Jade finally confides in Kit that Ballantine arranged for her to train in the elite legion to eventually join the Galladoorn knighthood but that she will have to leave after the wedding, making Kit truly furious to the point that she loses her temper and ridicules her future husband by exposing his lack of devotion.
At night, Jade is abruptly awakened by Kit coming to tell her that she was leaving, having had enough of her life as a princess that never suited her then kisses Jade passionately and assures her that she will be a great warrior, leaving Jade emotionally confused. A while later, she catches up with Kit in the stables and tries to convince her to delay her departure, leading the two girls to argue over what the other wants before Jade notices a strange fog appearing. Suddenly, guards fall in front of them, prompting Jade to grab the sword of one of the deceased as a means of protection. The Scourge emerges and tackles the two girls, getting the better of her until Ballantine intervenes. Jade continues to confront the Scourge, only for the giant to overpower her and begin strangling her. Thraxus Boorman's intervention saves Jade's life shortly before the Gales retreat with Airk in their hands.
The next day, Jade is present in the throne room when Kit declares her attention to go save her brother then joined by Jørgen Kase then by Jade and ending with the inclusion of Graydon and Boorman in the group. The day before leaving to recruit the wizard Willow by order of the queen, Jade is entrusted by her adoptive father with a forged sword for her when she is ready, leading her to hope that at their next meeting he will tell her that she deserved this sword. For her part, Sorsha asks Jade to keep Kit out of trouble, which Jade promises.
After a long horseback ride, Jade warns her companions that they are being followed and that follower turns out to be Dove, Airk's lovesick kitchen girl. Jade tries to tell the girl that her feelings for Airk are misplaced, but Dove remains sure that it's different between her and him. As night falls preventing Dove from being brought back to the castle, the group makes a fire for the supper made by Dove who then asks the question about what the Barrier is, to which Jade replies that it is a force field for protect Tir Asleen, causing her to sadly think back to how her family died trying to get through the Barrier. In the early morning, Jade who slept next to Kit wakes up to notice with Boorman that Dove is gone.
Once through the Barrier, the group stumbles upon Dove again shortly before Kase is is killed with an arrow in the back by the Bone Reavers. The rest of the group managed to escape by jumping off a cliff and landing in a river below. They later arrive at the entrance to Nelwyn village where they are greeted by a Nelwyn claiming to be Willow who tries to send the group away until Kit's sincerity in the magician's feat alongside her parents brings the real Willow. Afterwards, Willow explains to the group that Airk was taken to the Immemorial City beyond the Shattered Sea before realizing that Dove is actually the legendary Elora Danan, much to Jade's shock.
In "The High Aldwin", as the group are greeted by the Nelwyns, Jade notices Kit's growing frustration and impatience to find Airk, the thing being that Kit doesn't believe Elora is who Willow claims she is. . When Kit is about to hit the road alone, Jade tries to talk her friend into reason based largely on her personal belief in Elora Danan, but this only makes Kit more skeptical. Jade participates in the search for Elora after she goes missing again, not without expressing her disappointment in Kit's selfish attitude. Once Elora is found, the group now counting Willow and Silas hit the road again with an extra cart, finding Kit several miles away.
Around the campfire after dark, Jade watches trying in vain to correctly recite a magic spell to grow plants. The next day, Jade and Kit practice throwing shurikens at trees and the two girls argue again when Jade notices that Kit remains terribly skeptical and judgmental. Jade claims that she has to follow Willow because Sorsha ordered her and refutes that Kit can know whether or not Willow is right about Elora, infuriating Kit who walks away after remarking on the absence of magic since the start of the trip.
In "The Battle of the Slaughtered Lamb", Jade helps in the search for the recently missing Elora and finds her unconscious with a Ballantine corrupted by Le Lich following the attack on the castle, the latter claiming to be responding to the queen's orders to bring Elora back to Tir Asleen, but Jade quickly suspects that his father figure is not himself, especially when she notices a strange twitch on his face. Ballantine suddenly threatens to kill Jade if she persists, reluctantly prompting her to draw her sword before the others surround Ballantine and his equally infected men attack the group. Jade engages Ballantine in a sword duel but barely competes against him due to his newfound superhuman strength, while saving a fallen Kit from being killed by one of the guards. Willow's artificial fog unfortunately gives Ballantine and his men the opportunity to flee with Elora, so Jade, Boorman and Kit try to pursue them on horseback.
The hunt in vain, the gang reunites in the face of a storm of black magic created by the one the Gales obey, The Crone, and who comes towards them. As the men try to fix the broken wagon wheel, Jade notices Kit hiding her frustration until she questions her about it, so Kit expresses her fears about the dangerousness of Lich's loyalists justifying that it will take kill them at the slightest opportunity, implying that Jade hesitated earlier. Jade claims she didn't hesitate and saved Kit's life, leading the princess to claim that she can defend herself but Jade assures her that she is wrong and then Kit brings up the times she beat Jade in practice, only for her friend's silence to make her realize that Jade let her win every time. Unmasked, Jade admits that Sorsha had ordered her to train with Kit although she had taken a liking to it because she loved it, not without ever believing that Kit would truly need to fight for her life one day, making Kit upset and disappointed with Jade.
With the storm getting worse, the group splits in two to cover more search ground, Kit and Boorman going to Pitiless Pass while Jade stays with the others at Capella Pastures. Jade thinks she should stay with Kit, only for the still bitter princess over the revelation to deny needing Jade's help. As the cart gets stuck in the mud much to Jade's exasperation, she and Graydon begin to worry that Willow may have lost his powers since he still hasn't used them. Later, with the group coming face to face with Ballantine and his men on a mountaintop, Jade tries to reason with her adoptive father but hearing his macabre devotion to darkness is enough to make her see that it's too late and a new fight. begins. Jade fights back as best she can, only to end up knocked down and nearly killed by Ballantine without the intervention of a Kit emerging from an underpass, allowing Jade to resume the fight by her side. At the end of the fight, Willow releases an explosion of magic which defeats the loyalists but Silas is killed. Jade approaches a temporarily restored Ballantine, who begs her to protect her friends as best she can or The Crone will take over and that Elora is the only one who can stop her, then asks Jade to finish him off. A crying Jade refuses to do it but once Ballantine begs her again after declaring how proud he is of her, she ends up delivering the killing blow. She then cries over Ballantine's lifeless body.
After Silas's funeral, Kit tries to see if Jade recovered, only for Boorman to interrupt her by pointing out that the horses are gone and Elora points out the only safe place around. The cliffs crossed, the band discovers that Graydon has been infected, then they see in the distance the castle of Nockmaar, where once reigned Queen Bavmorda.
In "The Whispers of Nockmaar", the gang takes shelter from the rain in the old abandoned castle. As Graydon's condition worsens to the point that he will eventually be totally corrupt by morning, Jade disapproves of Kit's decision to kill Graydon, pointing out that killing a prince would lead to war. However, Willow finds a magical ritual that can save Graydon, requiring ingredients and paraphernalia that the others gather and then Jade volunteers to stand guard outside if the Gales ever approach. On her way to her post, Jade is approached by Kit who tries to comfort her on her guilt for killing Ballantine when she had no choice but Jade doubts Kit will be able to understand until she long live it herself, which Jade wishes her never to come to that. She then tells her of her childhood memories of being just a miserable but grateful stable girl until Ballantine recruits her and teaches her to channel her anger into something useful, deepening her remorse when she mentions that she killed Ballantine with the sword he gave her. Kit wants to stay with her but Jade prefers to be alone.
In the rain, Jade continues to be in the grip of her emotions when she crosses paths with an exasperated Boorman because he cannot manage to open a safe in the castle. Jade recognizes that Kit is right about killing Graydon and that it should either be her or Boorman who will owe her. She also says that she always wanted to be a knight but right now she hates it. Boorman shares with her his own self-loathing issues that he eventually overcome by moving forward without ever looking back, sure that's what Ballantine would have told Jade. With these words, Jade stops suppressing all her inner sadness and snuggles up to Boorman, crying.
While patrolling, Jade has a vision of her dead mother before coming face to face with a hallucination of General Kael whom she finds herself forced to fight but is ultimately no match for Bavmora's former commander and goes barricaded in the shelter of the warehouse. In a panic, she almost crosses swords with Kit coming out of nowhere following another hallucination in the castle. The two girls hear Boorman on the other side but only agree to open the door to him after he is declared to know that they have a crush on each other. Right away, Boorman aggressively grabs Kit questioning her about the Lux Arcana he accuses her of stealing from him until Jade forces him to let go of her princess by pointing her sword at the deranged man's throat. Kit slowly realizes the castle is pitting them against each other before seeing a light coming from the tall tower, meaning Elora may be in danger.
The trio arrive in time to neutralize an almost entirely corrupt Graydon. When Jade is about to finish the job, Kit asks her not to and then manages to help Elora find enough confidence in herself to magically heal Graydon. When day breaks, the gang finally leaves Nockmaar Castle for good.
In "Wildwood", The Scourge and The Dag chase the gang through a ruined village until the adventurers enter the Wildwood where the two creatures dare not enter. Jade knows that the Bone Reavers are in this forest, still resenting them for the death of her parents, shortly before the Bone Reavers themselves ambush them during a break and take them to their camp in the far reaches of the Wildwood. As Kit tries to negotiate their release with the Bone Reavers' snarky leader, Scorpia, Jade frustrates diplomacy by stating that the Bone Reavers have no heart and are too stupid to estimate the value of an offer. Scorpia then has the others locked away separately while she keeps Jade as a personal prisoner, wanting to see what's inside her.
Later, a Jade tied to a tree reunites with Kit and Elora who escaped from captivity but were quickly surrounded by the Bone Reavers and recaptured. Taking advantage of Scorpia taunting Kit, Jade undoes her bonds, quickly sneaks up to Scorpia and places a knife to her throat, waiting for this moment of revenge for a long time. Scorpia quickly knocks her down and punches her in the face but Jade fights back offensively for a while until Scorpia subdues her. Stunned at the sight of the mark Jade has on the back of her neck, Scorpia spares her life and orders that she be taken to her tent. Alone with Scorpia, Jade learns that she has the same mark and that it is the family imprint of the deceased General Kael, the first Bone Reaver and father of fifteen children of which Jade and Scorpia would be the last alive. Jade doesn't believe it at first but after learning that her mother was killed by the same soldiers who took a young Jade to Tir Asleen because the kingdoms feared the slaves freed by Bavmorda who became the Bone Reavers of today and that she has therefore been brainwashed to join her kidnappers, she begins to question herself.
Jade eventually comes to terms with her true origins and quickly bonds with Scorpia who subsequently throws a party to celebrate her sister's return to her true family among the Bone Reavers whom Jade had long been mistaken about and begins to flourish. When Kit comes to see how she is following all her revelations, Jade claims to feel good and that she has accepted that she is a Bone Reaver but wonders why Sorsha lied to her about her identity. Under the effect of a truth plum, a fruit that forces the eater to tell the truth, Kit admits that she suspected the truth about Jade but didn't tell her because she was afraid of being taken for a fool or of hurt Jade's feelings. Jade refutes that Kit is crazy but that she just broke her heart by hiding what she knew from her and leaves in frustration.
Wanting to fix things between them, Kit takes Jade to a remote place and confesses her true romantic feelings for her, even being willing to stay with Jade if she chooses to return to the Bone Reavers after Airk's rescue and apologizing for her misbehavior towards her. Touched by Kit's sincerity, Jade admits that she's been hopelessly in love with her for a long time and now she wants to kiss her non-stop. Unfortunately, the romantic moment does not come to the end, a Troll kidnaps Kit under the helpless eyes of Jade.
In "Prisoners of Skellin", Jade, Scorpia, and the others venture into the Dread Mines of Skellin to rescue Kit and a Willow also captured by the Trolls. After knocking out supervisors, the group witnesses Elora losing control of her magic when she sneezes, causing an earthquake warning the Trolls of their presence. While the plan is to use the supervisors' clothes to remain incognito in the mines, Scorpia separates from the group to go free hers but not before sharing a last moment with her sister whom she encourages to choose between Kit or to stay with the Bone Reavers when it's over and then gives her a hug.
Continuing forward through the disguises, Jade manages to calm Elora still having a panic attack before encountering a group of Trolls who force Graydon to descend lower with them. The trio are then forced to go through a path at the edge of the void and Jade accidentally crosses a floor but Boorman and Elora save her from the fall by pulling her up, just for Elora to lose the magic wand in the void. Then in the darkest part of the mines, Jade begins to doubt Boorman's sense of direction and he finally admits that he is actually leading them to Wiggleheim's Tomb where the Kymerian Cuirass is, much to the dismay of Jade and Elora. Striving no further, Jade strives to help Elora had her self-confidence issues shortly before being reunited with the escaped Kit and Willow, Jade then rushes to cuddle Kit. With the Trolls coming this way, Kit finds the switch to the secret passage leading to the tomb with the help of Allagash, a former companion of Madmartigan, allowing the gang to escape the patrol.
Upon entering the tomb, the group is forced to answer the two riddles posed by Wiggleheim's animated statue to proceed further, with Jade answering the first by finding the answer to be a name. Hours pass without the gang finding the answer to the second riddle until Elora finds the solution. The grave opened, Allagash and Boorman fight over the Cuirass while Kit is as if called by her father to the bottom of the grave but Jade and Elora drag her out against her will before the room collapses on top of them. A fierce fight against the Trolls ensues which only ends with Allagash sacrificing himself to allow the others to escape through a tunnel.
Landing on a lake of hardened vermiscus, the gang advances towards the exit at the bottom of the cave but Kit finds herself trapped under the still liquid lake due to earthquakes. Best efforts to get the princess out remains ineffective, even Jade's plea for Willow to save Kit through the vermiscus is futile, which is when Elora having retrieved the wand begins to use a magic spell in an attempt to puncture the golden floor.
In "Beyond the Shattered Sea", Elora manages to bring Kit to the surface and she is quickly evacuated by Jade and Boorman. Further on, Jade helps Kit walk until the group arrives at the Shattered Sea but Jade insists that Kit rest before going any further, which she refuses only to fall after a few steps. The adventurers stop at a chalet, Jade taking care of a still weakened Kit. The next day, they rush off in a Mudmander trailer after discovering that The Doom and The Dag are hiding in the chalet. In the escape, Jade and Boorman engage in confrontation against The Doom until the creature knocks out Jade with an elbow strike in her face. After Graydon destroys The Dag with his inner magic, Jade stabs The Doom from behind, knocking him out of the trailer.
Afterwards, Jade comes to help Kit with the shuriken that The Doom had previously thrown at her arm, sharing with her to relax her the time she had mistaken a possum for a porcupine, which had earned her thirty thorns in foot. She adds that she has the surefire method for pain and starts staring at Kit soft-eyed, distracting her into slapping her hard in the face and removing the shuriken simultaneously. The gang stops at an island to regain their strength and when Willow trains Elora in magic, Kit decides that she and Jade must train for the upcoming fight, this time Jade must not spare Kit, so the trip and the training is linked day after day. One evening, Jade recognizes that Kit is using Minetta's Ploy, a technique consisting of tricking the opponent into thinking they know the opponent's movements, which Jade finds very frustrating since she had wanted to face Kit for a long time without the circumstances be good. Kit knocks Jade down after telling her she loves her. Jade calls it a scam but when Kit claims she meant it when she said she loved her, Jade demands that she prove it before the two girls start kissing passionately.
The situation escalates after Graydon is released from the Mudmander out of pity, resulting in the gang being unable to turn back and can only reach the end of the Shattered Sea on foot. During the walk, Jade tells Kit that Sorsha had ordered her to bring Kit back if things got worse but she has the care to let Kit continue as far as she wants. Arrived at the end of the Shattered Sea which consists of seemingly endless waterfalls, the gang is desperate and Elora begins to lose hope again until Kit comforts her. Under the shocked eyes of Jade and the others, Kit and Elora drop into the falls.
In "Children Of The Wyrm", Jade is determined to jump off waterfalls despite Boorman's objections, convinced that it can only be the only way to reach Immemorial City. Willow thinks they weren't supposed to interfere more since Madmartigan knew Kit would become Elora's protector but Jade remains determined to join Kit, Willow guessing her feelings and Jade adding that when you love someone you have to jump off the end of the world to join him. She too is convinced that all of this is beyond Airk and The Crone, as well as Elora and Kit won't win this war alone. Without further hesitation, Jade leaps into the misty void.
Jade arrives in the vicinity of Immemorial City and is joined by Graydon and Boorman before the trio notices a huge sandstorm that will reach them after dark. On Boorman's strategic idea, the trio infiltrate the city walls camouflaged in the sand, a plan that Jade finds absurd due to the lack of life in the city, so she goes out in the open to the temple gate, unfortunately so that the storm is already here. Jade and Boorman can't force the door open and neither can Graydon even with his magic, leaving the trio at the mercy of the magically living storm that petrifies them in place.
Willow is able to remove the curse from The Crone, freeing his friends from their stone prison and the big fight ensues against the Gales, The Crone and a corrupted Airk, Jade confronting The Lich and The Scourge before witnessing Graydon's death being pushed into the vermiscus portal by The Crone. Kit and Jade find themselves confronted by Airk, who has become completely insane, whose strength has been increased tenfold by the consumption of vermiscus. The two girls fight back as best they can as Elora confronts The Crone but Jade gets knocked to the ground and nearly gets killed by Airk if Kit hadn't blocked the next sword swing. When the mortally wounded Crone fuses with Airk, Jade activates the Kymerian Cuirass that Boorman previously gave Kit with the Lux Arcana, activating reinforced armor so Kit can face the demonic Airk in a final battle.
Airk ends up defeated by Kit and heals from the curse thanks to the crystal from Willow's staff. The gang then mourns Graydon before heading out of the Immerorial City. Jade notices with amusement that Kit keeps ogling her armor that she doesn't know how to get it off yet. She also remarks that the Wyrm is still there and should be killed, but Willow assures them that they will be ready to face it. Jade adds that Willow isn't unusually worried, which he credits to them being by his side and that others will join them as the gang begins the journey home.
==Gallery==
Willow - 1x07 - Beyond the Shattered Sea - Photography - Jade.jpg
Kit Jade Horizon.jpg|Jade listening to Kit talk about their adventure dreams.
Kit Jade Horses.jpg|Jade bringing her horse and Kit's horse back to the stables.
==Trivia==
* The iron mask Jade wears during her introduction may reference Karli Morgenthau, a character previously played by Erin Kellyman who also wore a similar mask covering her face.
*She is used to standing up straight with her hands behind her back most of the time.
*Just like her father, Jade is right-handed.
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