I got a quest in Daggerfall right after the starter dungeon to save some guy's wife from the Thieves guild. He gives me a malachite as the ransom but asks to see if I can save her without using it. I go to a bookstore in a nearbytown, refuse to pay and a rogue attacks me, I kill the rogue and they had a letter on them revealing the hostage's location. I go there and it's a enormous dungeon. I finally find her and she accompanies me (I see a portrait of her on the left side of my screen) and I head back to Daggerfall. I go back to the guy that gave me the quest (I double checked the name) and I can only sell/buy things from him. If I click him and select talk, nothing happens. I'm pretty sure I did the quest before it's 15 day time limit expired.

What am I missing here?

Did you check your journal if you still have the notes related to it?
If it isn't, you failed the quest but the follower stayed "with you". Which may cause a problem when trying to speak with the quest giver. (If the quest is over, he'd normally talk to you again normally)

So if it's the case, wait a few days and the follower should eventually disappear.
Or you can pretend you took the merchant's wife.


This reminds me when I was working for the same merchant for a couple of quests. Out of the 6-10 quests I did, I had to save 3 of his cousins from the Dark Brotherhood or the Thieves Guild. Seems like that guy had a shady business going on.

Yeah, it's still in my log. I think it's been something like 9 days out of the 15 day time limit.