In My Time of Need In My Time of Need is a quest available in . The Dragonborn encounters some Alik ' r warriors in search of a Redguard woman . They must choose whether to believe the warriors , and return the woman to custody , or trust the fugitive , and kill her pursuers . Either option offers a decent monetary reward . Background . At any time after starting the main quest " Dragon Rising , " the Dragonborn will encounter Alik ' r Warrior s on the roads of Skyrim or at the entrance to Whiterun , arguing with the town guard for entry to the city . When asked , they will explain that they are searching for a Redguard woman , who is a refugee from Hammerfell . When asked why they are searching for her , they will refuse to answer . Since they are not welcome in Whiterun due to a prior incident with the guards , they will tell the Dragonborn to bring any news of their quarry to Rorikstead . Quick walkthrough . Speak with the Alik ' r Warriors near the Whiterun ' s gate to Skyrim . Speak with Saadia inside The Bannered Mare . Detailed walkthrough . There is no marker that leads to the Redguard woman that the Alik ' r are looking for . If the Dragonborn searches Whiterun , they will eventually find her , a woman named Saadia in The Bannered Mare . If the Dragonborn tells Saadia about the two Alik ' r Warriors looking for her , she becomes agitated and asks to speak privately . At this point , the Dragonborn can follow Saadia and speak with her privately or head back to the Alik ' r at Rorikstead and inform them of her location . Speaking to the Alik ' r ends the quests and earns the 500 reward . Saadia ' s Story . Once Saadia is alone with the Dragonborn , she will explain her side of the situation . She currently works for Hulda at the Bannered Mare , but claims she is a noblewoman of the province of Hammerfell , House Suda , and her real name is Iman . According to claims , Saadia was forced to flee the province to Skyrim after speaking out against the Aldmeri Dominion , who then hired the Alik ' r to hunt her down and assassinate her . She denies Kematu ' s accusations of her selling out her people to the Thalmor and of her being a traitor to the empire . She states , if Kematu were killed , the rest of the assassins would scatter . If the Dragonborn promises to help her , she also mentions an Alik ' r Prisoner in the Dragonsreach Dungeon who could help in locating Kematu . If Swindler ' s Den has been cleared prior to the quest , a dialogue option with Saadia will come up stating that Kematu ' s location is already known , thus avoiding the conversation with the Alik ' r prisoner . Once inside the Dungeon ( one entrance is on the eastern wall of Dragonsreach ) , the Dragonborn can speak to the prisoner through the bars . He agrees to help if his bail of 100 is paid . This can be done by talking to one of the guards . Talk to the prisoner again , and tell him his fine has been paid , and he will reveal that Kematu is in a cave called Swindler ' s Den . The guard then takes his time releasing him . Swindler ' s Den . Swindler ' s Den can be found due west of Whiterun at the base of a rocky hill in the middle of the plains . Kematu is guarded by several bandits , who must be defeated regardless of whose side is chosen ( Saadia ' s or Kematu ' s ) . When the Dragonborn reaches Kematu , he does not attack on sight , allowing the Dragonborn to speak to him . Kematu gives his side of the story , claiming that Saadia betrayed Hammerfell , and that as a result , the Redguard city of Taneth fell during the war against the Aldmeri Dominion . He explains that the Redguard houses wish to bring her back alive to face justice . Siding with Saadia . To save Saadia from capture , simply kill Kematu . After the battle , return to the Bannered Mare in Whiterun and inform Saadia . She will offer a reward of 500 . Siding with the Alik ' r . When asked what he wants the Dragonborn to do , Kematu requests that they return to Saadia and convince her to meet at the stables , where she will be ambushed and brought to justice . Head back to the Bannered Mare and lie to Saadia by telling her that the attempt to defeat all the Alik ' r forces failed , that they are coming for her , and that there is a horse ready for her to escape on . Exit Whiterun with Saadia following , and head to the Whiterun Stables . Kematu will appear and immobilize Saadia . Speak with him one final time to collect the reward of 500 . Double Agent . Before collecting the reward from Kematu , the Dragonborn can attack and kill him instead . In doing so , the Dragonborn may avoid fighting Kematu ' s men . Saadia will be enraged about being led into a trap and comment that she should have been warned first , but she will then be thankful for being rid of her pursuers and offer a reward of 500 . Kematu ' s corpse can also be looted for an additional 250 ( 100 / possibly ) . Killing Kematu after collecting the reward from him will cause Saadia to wake up and attack with her dagger , forfeiting her reward . Playing both sides . It is possible to earn 1000 by collecting the reward from both Saadia and Kematu , but they must both be killed in the course of the quest .