If he got the 'castle of sand' heart in Dragonreach, then he must have used the button you mentioned in Timberdale; there's no other way to do it.

But - it's possible to skip a heart here and there and still unlock the last level (Citadel of Shadows). So maybe he never figured this one out. I wouldn't blame him - it's one of the least obvious clues to decipher.
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Not clear enough?

Still playing? How far are you?
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AMAZING! I keep dropping by in case someone like you shows up with a question, but this forum has been pretty dead. Down to business:

First, I'm not entirely certain where you're talking about, but I think you're in the tower you have to climb up around the inside wall of. Part way up, at the end of the long thin path where you have to carefully watch your step, there's a platform you can jump down to with a button on it. That's the one?

That button opens a window in the side of the tower. It's actually not relevant to the heart you're after at the moment (that one's way, way, way up at the top of the tower). But you'll have to come back here later when you're looking for another one in Dragonreach (2nd world), and ... jump out through the window.

It's the only instance in the game where you'll have to revisit a world you already did (Timberdale) to get a heart for the world you're exploring (Dragonreach); it's pretty weird that way.

Someone new playing the game - how exciting!
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