In My Time of Need

Background
Saadia is a noblewoman from Hammerfell who claims she fled to Skyrim when she was forced into hiding after an attempt on her life for speaking out against the Aldmeri Dominion. She can be found working as a barmaid at The Bannered Mare in Whiterun. Alik'r Warriors can be seen arguing with a city guard just inside the main gate, talking to one of them will start the quest. They ask you to look for "a Redguard woman" in Whiterun because they are not allowed inside the city. Further questioning reveals that they were sent by the Redguard Noble Houses as mercenaries, led by a man called Kematu, to search for Saadia and bring her back to Hammerfell to stand trial for treason.

Characters

 * Kematu
 * Saadia
 * Alik'r Warriors

Quest objectives

 * Find the Redguard woman.
 * Speak with Saadia or Inform the Alik'r of Saadia's location.
 * Talk to the Alik'r Prisoner or Inform the Alik'r of Saadia's location.
 * Kill Kematu or bring Saadia to the stables.

Quick walkthrough
Speak with the Alik'r Warriors near the Whiterun's gate to Skyrim. Speak with Saadia inside The Bannered Mare.
 * Help Saadia:
 * Speak to an Alik'r Prisoner in the Dragonsreach Dungeon.
 * Talk to the guard, pay the fine for the prisoner, and receive the location of the assassins' hideout.
 * Head to the Swindler's Den to kill Kematu.
 * Return to Saadia.

OR
 * Turn in Saadia:
 * Tell the Alik'r at Rorikstead where Saadia is.
 * Return to Saadia, and have her meet at Whiterun Stables where she is then ambushed.

A wanted woman

 * Two Alik'r Warriors appear at Whiterun's main gate in a heated discussion with the city guard, or they may be found on the road near one of the holds arguing with a Redguard. The Alik’r have already been banned from most of the city after an incident and jailing of one of their party, but the men are determined to try to find a Redguard woman somewhere inside the walls of Whiterun. Upon speaking to one of them, the player is asked to aid them in their search.
 * The woman in question is Saadia, a cook at The Bannered Mare. After finding Saadia and telling her about the two Alik'r Warriors looking for her, Saadia becomes agitated and asks to speak privately. At this point, the player can follow Saadia and speak with her privately or head back to the Alik'r and inform them of her location.

Siding with Saadia

 * Speaking with Saadia privately, she first threatens the player with a dagger. Then she explains her background and comments that if Kematu is removed, the remaining forces are likely to scatter. Saadia also tells the player about an Alik'r Prisoner in the Dragonsreach Dungeon who could help in locating Kematu. (One entrance to the dungeon is on the eastern wall of Dragonsreach.)
 * Once inside the Dungeon, the player can speak to the prisoner through the bars. He agrees to help if the player pays his bail. After paying the 100 fine to one of the guards, talking to the prisoner again, and telling him his fine has been paid, the prisoner will reveal that Kematu is in a cave west of Whiterun, called Swindler's Den. The guard taunts the prisoner, first feigning difficulty in hearing him, then claiming to have lost the key to the cell, but does eventually release him.

Not just a pretty face

 * Swindler's Den can be found due west of Whiterun at the base of a rocky hill in the middle of the plains. To reach Kematu, the player must fight the bandits inhabiting the den, regardless of whose side the player has chosen in the quest (Saadia's or Kematu's).
 * Once the player reaches Kematu, he does not attack on sight, allowing the player 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. Kematu explains that the Redguard houses wish to bring her back alive to face justice. At this point, the player has a pivotal choice to make: kill Kematu or side with him in capturing Saadia.

Siding with Saadia

 * To save Saadia from capture, the player may simply attack Kematu and his guards at any point. After the battle, return to the Bannered Mare in Whiterun and inform Saadia of the end of her problem. She will reward the player with 500.
 * If the battle against the nine Alik'r proves to be too difficult, an alternate strategy is to attack the guard nearest the cave exit first, then back into the tunnel by the exit. This forces the foes to face the player one at a time instead of the player needing to endure the blows of multiple enemies simultaneously.
 * Another strategy is to obtain a fully charged Staff of Fireballs or the Fireball spell (due to Magicka requirements the staff is better). Tell your follower to wait in the back of the chamber. Move close enough to the waterfall that you have a good view of the left wall, but not close enough to initiate the conversation with Kematu, use autosave/reload to find the sweet spot. Then, while stealthed, hit the wall on the left side through the water fall with a fireball and its AoE effect will pull the Alik'r down the ramp. Repeatedly hit the ramp with fireballs to weaken the Alik'r before they reach melee range. If your stealth is high enough the Alik'r will pass you to attack your follower, allowing you to sneak attack them from behind.

Siding with the Alik'r

 * Kematu informs the player that his men aren’t assassins but are agents acting on behalf of the Redguard Houses, tasked with returning the fugitive (Saadia) to Hammerfell. When asked what he wants the player to do, Kematu requests that the player return to Saadia and convince her to meet at the stables, where she’ll 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 the player has a horse ready for her to escape. Exit Whiterun with Saadia following, and head to the Whiterun Stables. Around to the side of the stable house, Kematu is waiting. He immobilizes Saadia, and the player may speak with him one final time to collect the reward of 500.

Last minute change of heart
After betraying Saadia, the player might feel some remorse, and despite what she may have done back in Hammerfell, before collecting the reward from Kematu, the player can attack and kill him instead. 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 persistent pursuers and reward the player with the sum of 500. Then the player can loot Kematu's body, which holds between 50 and 300. If the player waits too long and kills Kematu after retrieving the reward, Saadia will wake up and attack the player ferociously with either a dagger or her fists (if her dagger was previously pickpocketed).

Playing both sides

 * It is possible to earn 1000 if the player does not care about killing both Saadia and Kematu by collecting the reward from both characters.
 * After Kematu immobilizes Saadia, collect the 500 reward from him.
 * Then kill Kematu, and steal his belongings and 50 to 300.
 * Because Saadia was betrayed, she will be hostile to the player after Kematu has been killed; however, if the player casts calm on Saadia, it's possible to explain to her that the Alik'r will not bother her anymore. She will be thankful, and reward the player with 500.
 * Once the calm effect wears off, Saadia will attack the player on sight. Fast-traveling away while she is calmed will not cause her to forgive the player in the long run, and the next time she is approached, she will resume attacking the player. Killing her at that point isn't considered murder, so there will be no bounty, even in the middle of town.
 * Note: If the player has the Destruction perk Disintegrate and kills Kematu with lightning, he will turn to ash, and when Saadia tries to get up, she will vanish away. So using lightning to kill Kematu is not recommended.

Trivia

 * The quest is an excellent way to obtain Scimitars, (which are better than most steel weapons), because they are the Alik'r warriors' signature weapon.
 * It is possible to kill both Kematu and Saadia without starting this quest and loot up to 800 and items from them; however, this counts as murder, so a 3000  bounty will be accrued if the player is observed killing them and Kematu's guard.
 * If Kematu's request is accepted, and the player helps him capture Saadia, the player may encounter a group of Thalmor Justiciars in the wild that carry a Justiciar Execution Order with the player's race and name. This may indicate that Kematu might have been telling the truth and that Saadia truly was a traitor (source needed, Justiciar questline). Execution Orders are normally issued because of the assault on the Thalmor Embassy in the main questline.
 * Saadia is never considered essential, so it's possible to kill her even right after she is told about the Alik'r. This will, however, immediately cause the failure of the quest, and no dialogue option will be available to tell the Alik'r that she has been killed.
 * If Swindler's Den is cleared prior to the quest, a dialogue option with Saadia will come up stating that Kematu's location is already known to the player, thus avoiding the conversation with the Alik'r prisoner.
 * The two Alik'r that gave the quest have the same voices.
 * After the quest is complete, regardless of how it is completed, the two Alik'r who prompted the quest, and subsequently moved to Rorikstead, may appear by the gates inside Whiterun. Their dialogue is generally positive. From that moment on they will assist the Whiterun Guards in assaulting the player if caught in the act of a crime—or in the Dawnguard Expansion, assist in killing any Vampires that may appear.
 * Even after the related quest has been successfully completed, the Dragonborn may still encounter the two Alik'r warriors on the roadside, questioning Redguard women about Saadia's whereabouts. (360)