The Resistance: What Ashei Could Have Been in Twilight Princess
Posted on January 16 2014 by Legacy Staff
When
Medli reawakened as the Earth Sage and accompanied Link into the temple on
Headstone Island in The Wind Waker,
she brought youthful exuberance and a pair of wings. Makar may have been
vulnerable to Floor Masters, but he could plant seeds to grow Hookshot-able
trees and propel himself about with his Deku Leaf. The quest to restore the
Master Sword ultimately confirmed Link’s status as the Hero of Winds, but he didn’t,
and couldn’t have walked the path alone. Friends had helped him, and he them. The
union was strongest because we had experienced flight, light reflection and musical
performances with each of them in turn.
In
the characters making up the Resistance, Twilight
Princess had opportunities to reform these ties between Link and his
cohorts, and to allow the player that sense of togetherness in defeating evil
once again. But Nintendo left an emotional void in Link’s journey with this
alliance, one that could have brought with it the sensitivity and sensibility
seen in previous Zelda games.
In
this, the second in a series of explorative articles, I am going to delve deeper
into the role of the Resistance and what opportunity they had to bring more to The Legend of Zelda.
When
Link visits Telma’s Bar, the Master Sword in tow, Ashei tells him of her part
in the troupe. He learns of Snowpeak and the evil on those mountains. She
suggests that her training and understanding of the landscape will not help her,
when she says, “I don’t know much yet, but things happen there that happen on no other mountain I know of.” And she can sense that the evil lurking on
Snowpeak is greater also than Link’s current abilities, by stating that until
she knows more, he “should stay away.”
It
is hard to say whether or not her anxieties impact on what is to come, but I am
just as likely to believe that Ashei might have gained some semblance of
courage while Link was in the Arbiter’s Grounds, and found herself as integral as Auru. She, too, could have played
a vital role in the quest for the Mirror of Twilight. The next time Link is in
Telma’s Bar, Ashei has gone to Zora’s Domain, the mountains of Snowpeak
province ahead of her. Auru, relieved of his duties, has returned, his part in
the tale practically over.
Ashei
rightly has her place in the Resistance. She was raised by her father on distant
mountains, and taught how to wield a sword and fire a bow. Link is told about her
exploits in Snowpeak, studying the land from the refuge of her camouflaged Yeti
outfit. He is handed a sketch that she drew of a Yeti holding a Reekfish.
Like
Auru before her, Ashei deserves more game time, more emotional input, a lasting
resonation within the story. Without those elements, her part simply suffers.
Instead of leading our hero into the heart of the mountain, the sketch guides
Link away from Snowpeak in order to find out more information from the Zoras
and go fishing for the scent. All of Ashei’s skills and knowledge are made
futile by Link’s actions and the words of others. With nothing more than a
Reekfish scent to direct him, Link heads to the bitter cold of Snowpeak — in his usual green garb.
It
is in this way that Ashei’s role in Twilight
Princess is undermined. She may not have encountered the evils of Snowpeak
before, but she is prepared for a life in freezing temperatures, has a steadier
hand than a Hylian soldier, and the intelligence to disguise herself in white. Like
his excursion to the desert, Link was expected to undertake the task alone. To realise
his purpose by fighting White Wolfos and hurrying over snowy plains he had
never seen before, Ordon was a long way behind him by now.
At
this point, Ashei should have taken the reins. Like the suggestions for Auru,
she could have run along behind the player. Or she could have been in the lead,
directing Link as they followed the Reekfish scent. Or Ashei could have had the
tundra to herself, finding the Yeti and the way to Snowpeak Ruins first.
With
so much of her past and her abilities vital to this section of Twilight Princess, she could have been
implemented in a variety of ways. Already, her Yeti outfit allows her to stay
warm and out of sight. Packs of wolves may still have noticed her, but it would
have made sense that she could survive in the coldest province while also
getting close enough to a Yeti to get the information about the Mirror Shards Link
so desperately needed. Though her sword may have only been useful for White
Wolfos ambushes, her skills with a bow and arrow could have eliminated or
distracted solitary ones, or even opened up new pathways by bringing icicles
crashing down à la Majora’s Mask’s
entrance to the Mountain Village. Each foe felled by an arrow whistled across
the ice could have let out an eerie howl, left to emanate like an avalanche of
sound upon the wilderness.
It
might have been interesting to experience using a different bow — Link only has
the one, acquired in the Goron Mines — and even have Ashei hand it over to Link
once he reaches Snowpeak Ruins. It might have provided greater accuracy, larger
trajectory, stronger bowstrings, and tougher arrowheads: a gift that contributes to a more meaningful connection with her.
In
Twilight Princess, Link traverses
mist, ice and snow to find the Yeti. After the Shadow Beasts are defeated, the
danger is swiftly extinguished as Link snowboards down to Snowpeak Ruins, a
minigame that’s available for the rest of the game. I feel as though this was
an opportunity missed for Ashei. Link could still have fought the Shadow Beasts — after all it’s him they’re after — but Ashei could have followed the Yeti
couple from Snowpeak Top to the Ruins, careful not to be seen, finding the path
that Link could later race down. Ashei would walk into Snowpeak Ruins and attention
would switch back to Link. Just like with Auru, Ashei had the potential to
bring greater understanding of the landscape as a seasoned adventurer to aid
Link in his quest for the Mirror Shards.
Link
may have found a way to survive the cold and avoid the White Wolfos ambushes,
thanks to game time in which Ashei uncovered the province’s secrets. Our hero
then, fearing the worst, climbs the mountain as both man and wolf, snowboards
down to the Ruins and finds Ashei at Yeto’s side, preparing pumpkin soup. This
would have provided an alternative to Auru’s imprisonment and subverted the
idea that once they had helped Link in scouring the landscape, the Resistance
needed rescuing. Then Link would be free to navigate the dungeon and find the
first Shard.
Despite
Ashei’s differences to Auru, both provided extensive knowledge of an area
beyond Link’s comprehension. Their passion to help and involve themselves in the
fight against Zant and Ganondorf’s army offered the chance to learn about the
lives of other Hylians, deepen our understanding of those affected by twilight.
Link and the courage segment of the Triforce are symbiotic. He will always obtain
it, just as it will him. With every game, another Link is born to become that
hero. But each game provides different characters to surround him, each who feel
the pull of inevitable war. The Resistance are as self-aware as any peripheral
characters in the Zelda series. It wouldn’t have hurt Link’s journey to have them — individuals who have chosen courage rather than been granted it — on his
side.