So i need to kill this retire guard when he is naked. So i waited, followed, waited, followed, until he is swimming. So i fire my special made for this occasion arrow and killed him. The problem is, after i killed him unseen, his personal bodyguard, no matter how far he is, will attack me when i am close to him. The second problem is, he is a guard, and when a guard attacks me, all guards attack me.

So i gave up and search the walkthrough for specific answers, all are the same as what i have done but none had the reaction from bodyguard i am getting. i even tried using "poison apple" but then he dies in sleeping quaters and i cannot enter that to claim his finger. The two entrances to guard quaters are eyed all times because they located near two other city gate. i am accomplished thief, sneak 100, and still cannot get in undetected.

invisibility maybe?

I had the same problem, eventually i managed to kill him without his guard noticing me. The key is good timing, a good position from where to shoot, and most of all....try to stay in stealth mode ever since you started following him, so they won't even know you're there.

The best position to aim, fire, and shoot while remaining undetected is between the rocks that are halfway the right side of the pond. Wait until he's done with his swim, and is about to leave the water. When his chest is completely visible it's your moment to fire. Make sure to quicksafe right before you take your shot, just in case it doesn't work out as it should.

Once you killed him you'll get a message that you completed the quest, however....remain in stealth for just a few more minutes, stay in the same position from where you fired your arrow and don't move. Eventually the guard will turn away from the scene without making a fuss, and you can go collect your prescious trophy. :D

I just killed him when he swam in the lake and the bodyguard didnt mind at all.

I killed him and found the same problem you were having...AND I was low level in Illusion to boot, so I couldn't stage a quick getaway.

What I did was block and yield to the bodyguard. I paid the gold for my Bounty, then went on my way! :D

For me he never actually went swimming, he just stood on the steps with his bodyguard next to him....I hid on the other side of the street in sneak mode, shot him, he died and his body guard did nothing, waited an hour and the body guard wandered off leaving the body un-attended...run over steal the stuff, off I go :D

I had no problem with this one, high sneak comes in use though :)

oh well, last night, i killed him, rush to loot his body, fast travel to imperial before getting close to the bodyguard. As soon as i killed him, even the "eye" remained greyed out, i still receive 40 gold bounty on me head. So there i was at imperial, i turn myself in, pay the fine, end up at the prison, which is where i should be to put the finger, everything works fine.

That's not the proper way though.

@PacMan: Who cares?!? Its all about freedom after all!

The first time I shot him and took the finger, I got caught. On the second try, I can't find a spot to shoot him, undetected. I'll try the rocks though.

If you wait a bit, his bodyguard goes away...I camped out near the rocks and waited for his body guard to walk away a bit, and then shot him....No worries.

That's not the proper way though. I've never heard of a proper way to do anything in Elder Scrolls games.

Completed this one today. Found if one offs the target, grabs his possessions and makes a hasty fast travel for Bravil and then Skrivva's place to pay off fines, the guards dont have a chance to react and one doesnt have to be escorted to Imperial City Prison. (Which is where one must go anyway, but hey, I was getting sick of constantly getting a bounty *no matter* where I shot from)

TP

Yes, I had the same problem. I think I fired the arrow from every freaking corner around the pond, and I was still attacked by the guards (even though I had close to 80 sneak). I think it's one of those little bugs. I once fired the arrow and immidietly hid around a house (even before the arrow actually hit the guy), and made sur no one saw me. Sure enough, I had the 40 gold bounty on my head. I juste got tired of it and turned myself in and payed the fine...