It only took a couple of hours before they reached the village. By then, the sun had properly risen. When they rounded a bend in the road, the village finally came into view.

The entire village appeared to be built on a series of hills of varying heights. Everything in the village had been built on the slopes of the hills, with the buildings nearest the entrance built at a considerably lower elevation than those further away. Beyond the village, Link could see several larger hills with paths leading up to their peaks, and, further than that, a massive snowy mountain.

The buildings of Hateno were all made of simple brick and plaster, all with red tiled roofs and very tall chimneys. Several windmills dotted the hills and fields. Near the village's entrance, several new buildings were in the process of being built. Oddly, these clashed with the other constructions in the village, built out of vibrantly painted wood with multiple stories and flat-topped roofs. They looked out of place in the otherwise idyllic village.

The village bustled with activity. Farmers worked their fields, children played in the streets, villagers called out to each other, and a group of fairly large men walked with purpose towards the half-constructed houses. Link found himself smiling as they passed under a wooden arch that marked the entrance to the village. A sleepy man stood there holding a pitchfork, seemingly standing guard.

While looking around the new buildings, Link set sight on a house in the old style. Somehow, he felt drawn to the old house.

As if he had been here before...

"Link! Throw me the ball!" his sister yelled.

"Okay, Aryll!" seven-year old Link shouted back, and threw the ball for his little sister to catch.

"Sister," Link gasped.

"Are you all right, Link?" Edelgard asked. "You spaced out for a moment."

"I had a sister," Link said shakily. "I think we lived here. In this house."

"A sister?" Edelgard asked.

"Yes. I think her name was Aryll," Link said. "I'm trying to remember more, but..."

"Alright, boys. Tear it down," a man said, and several strong-looking men approached the house with sledgehammers.

"No. No, you can't!" Link panicked, placing himself between the men and the house, and drawing his sword. This house was the only place he had recovered any memory of his sister. If they tore it down, he could lose any chance he had of remembering her completely!

"Put down that sword, boy," the leader, who looked as if he might be the village head man, said. "This house has been abandoned. The property tax hasn't been paid in three months. It's village property now."

"You can't tear it down! I won't let you!" Link insisted.

Edelgard sighed. "If it's village property, we would like to buy it. How much?"

"Full price is 30,000 rupees," the head man said.

Link knew they didn't have that much. The house would be torn down, and he wouldn't remember his sister. Tears welled up in his eyes. "Aryll..."

"Wait, you were a friend of Aryll?" the head man asked. Link nodded his head.

The head man thought for a moment. "Maybe we can work something out. To be honest, I don't really want to tear down the house, but we need the building materials. Tell you what, if you pay the three months' worth of back taxes and the tax for the next year, I'll transfer ownership of the house to you. But in return, your mercenary company—you are a mercenary company, right? You're unusually well-armed, so that's what I'm assuming."

"Yes, we're a mercenary company," Edelgard answered. It was a convenient story.

"Okay then. Your company will have to protect Bolson and his men while they cut timber for repairs to the village. I don't want to risk them being attacked by monsters."

"Deal!" Link exclaimed.

The builders spent most of the day cutting down trees. Cyril and Raphael volunteered to help with the logging, Cyril cutting the trees down while Raphael helped carry the logs back to the village. Bolson, the head builder, had contemplated hiring the two of them, but after asking their names he changed his mind.

"Well, it looks like we have all the building materials we need now," the head man said. "1,500 rupees, and the house is yours."

They did have that. One payment later, the house was Link's.

"Thanks, everyone," Link said.

"It was no problem," Edelgard said. "Unfortunately, we can't stay here all day."

"Right," Link nodded. "Let's go meet Purah."