Quick Links
Longtime fans of Skyrim know that even the vanilla version of the game - no mods added - has hours upon hours of gameplay, and this is partly due to the amount of quests players can pursue. One such quest can be discovered early on in the game in Whiterun, the first large city players often encounter while following the main storyline.
In My Time Of Need is a quest involving a Redguard woman wanted by Alik’r Warriors that can be found at the gates of Whiterun or along the roads of Skyrim. We’ll detail each step in the quest, including all possible options the Dragonborn can choose.
Updated July 3, 2023, by Sean Murray: One of Skyrim's most memorable choices is deciding whether to help a poor Redguard woman or throw her to the wolves. In My Time of Need, it's important to know the consequences if you decide to kill Kematu or not. That's why we've refreshed this guide with more helpful tips and shortened it slightly to make it an easier read.
Prerequisites To Complete
Prior to starting In My Time Of Need, you will need to complete Dragon Rising. During this quest, you will battle against your first dragon and absorb a Dragon Soul. To start the Dragon Rising quest, all you need to do is speak with the Jarl of Whiterun.
Once Dragon Rising is complete, you can immediately begin In My Time Of Need.
Speaking With Alik'r Warriors
Your first task is to find and speak with Alik'r warriors just inside the gates of Whiterun.
The guards won’t let you further into the actual city at this point.
Talking to them, you’ll learn they’re looking for a Redguard woman who they claim is a refugee from Hammerfell, though they won’t tell you why they’re looking for her.
You can find these warriors in the Rorikstead Inn after this encounter.
Finding Saadia
The Redguard woman in question is Saadia, who resides in The Bannered Mare tavern of Whiterun - the very city the Alik'r were barred from entering. Talking to her about a wanted Redguard woman will make her nervous, so she’ll ask to speak to you in private in her upper-floor room.
You can follow her there or report her location to the Alik’r Warriors in the Rorikstead Inn.
If you want the quest done ASAP, the latter option will end it quickly and give you a 500 gold reward.
Speaking With Saadia
If you want to play out the rest of the story, follow Saadia and she’ll tell you her real identity is Iman, a noblewoman of Hammerfell’s House Suda. Allegedly, she spoke out against the Aldmeri Dominion and was forced to flee from the assassins they sent after her.
The leader of the Warriors after her, Kematu, has claimed she betrayed her people to the Thalmor, which she denies. If Kematu is killed, Saadia says the other assassins would scatter without leadership.
She points you to the Dragonsreach Dungeon where a rowdy Alik’r Warrior was arrested for trying to enter Whiterun.
Talking To The Prisoner
This Alik’r Prisoner is in one of the dungeon cells of Dragonsreach Dungeon. You can persuade the prisoner to reveal the location of Kematu by paying his bail of 100 gold. After this, he’ll say Kematu is in Swindler’s Den.
If you have cleared Swindler’s Den prior to meeting Saadia, talking to the prisoner is skipped entirely, and you will state that you know Kematu’s location already.
Traveling To Swindler’s Den
This classic Skyrim dungeon is west of Whiterun at the bottom of a rock hill; you can see this location on the map above.
There are many Bandits to fight before reaching Kematu, as well as a secret shortcut that cuts down on the amount of bandit-killing you have to do.
This shortcut is in the first room, behind the chair, table, and bedroll, and actually functions as the exit to the dungeon after defeating all the Alik’r Warriors.
Skyrim is merciful enough to have shortcuts that prevent excessive backtracking in the game’s dungeons, and Swindler’s Den is thankfully no exception.
You’ll see a large boulder with moss growing above it; you can get up to the entrance with some skilled jumps, skipping several fights along the way and immediately entering the room with Kematu.
You can also find the book Thief in Swindler’s den, which details the continuing adventures of Eslaf Erol and will level up the Pickpocket skill. The book can be found next to a bedroll in the most eastern room of the Den.
Other than this, Swindler’s Den has little in the way of valuable treasures, other than some Ingots and gold pieces scattered throughout.
Kematu’s Offer
Instead of attacking you on sight, you’ll have a chance to side with Kematu and hear his version of events: that Saadia is a traitor to her people and caused the fall of the city Taneth to the Aldmeri Dominion.
You can either agree to lead Saadia to Kematu outside of Whiterun or kill Kematu then and there.
Either way, your reward will be 500 gold, so it’s solely up to who you believe more.
Rewards For Completing In My Time Of Need
Killing Kematu
If you killed Kematu, you can return to Saadia and ensure her safety, upon which she’ll reward the Dragonborn with 500 gold.
Helping Kematu
If you agreed to help the Alik’r, you will tell Saadia that she is in danger and that there’s a horse waiting for her outside Whiterun to escape on. Kematu will be waiting for both of you at the stables, enraging Saadia before she is paralyzed by Kematu. He will award you 500 gold after this, completing the quest.
You can earn more gold by killing Kematu at the stables before getting the reward from him. Saadia will be angered about being deceived, but will reward you 500 gold for killing Kematu.
After this, players can loot additional gold from Kematu’s body, a possible 250 gold.
Doubling The Reward
There is a method of obtaining 500 gold from each of them, but it involves killing Kematu and having Saadia permanently in a hostile state.
You can kill Kematu after collecting your reward from him, then use Calm on Saadia as she will become hostile after recovering from paralysis.
Calm allows you to collect the extra reward of 500 gold, but when it wears off she will be permanently hostile. Killing her in this state is fortunately not a crime, though it is more senseless violence. All par for the course in Skyrim.