History Main / ReleasingFromThePromise

* In ''Fanfic/MutantStorm'', it is revealed that wizards are forbidden to use magic in Gringotts under an old treaty, but Harry faces no charge after he violates that rule because he only did it to save Griphook from a Death Eater attack.

* ''Fanfic/EnteringTheLoveHinaWorld'': When it's revealed that Naru is Keitaro's 'Promise Girl', Naru immediately declares said promise to be null and void. She does so in a very cruel, condescending fashion, appalling everyone save for the cheerfully oblivious Su.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm''. Bruce Wayne has just started his vigilante crusade, but finds his anger diminished now he's falling in love with Andrea Beaumont. During a thunderstorm he visits his parent's graves and begs to be released from his RoaringRampageOfRevenge.

* In ''WesternAnimation/CorpseBride'', at the end, [[spoiler:Emily frees Victor from his AccidentalMarriage to her, realizing that not only he ''does'' like Victoria... but that, if he keeps the promise, Emily will take Victoria's happiness away ''just like it happened to her''.]]

* ''Literature/GotrekAndFelix'': It's a sign of how bad the situation is for Gotrek to formally release Felix from his oath of staying with Gotrek until Gotrek dies in battle so that Felix can take Snorri to safety.

* ''Literature/IveBeenKillingSlimesFor300YearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'': Played with when Azusa is coerced into unknowingly making the blue dragon Flatorte her slave. She immediately tries to set Flatorte free, unfortunately Flatorte's pride as a dragon means she insists on adhering to the terms of her servitude and refusing, going so far as to threaten to kill herself should Azusa do it anyway. This is even though this situation was against Flatorte's will as well. The two compromise by having Azusa's one standing order to Flatorte be that she is to do as she pleases, allowing Flatorte her freedom while still keeping her bound to Azusa.

* ''LightNovel/IveBeenKillingSlimesFor300YearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'': Played with when Azusa is coerced into unknowingly making the blue dragon Flatorte her slave. She immediately tries to set Flatorte free, unfortunately Flatorte's pride as a dragon means she insists on adhering to the terms of her servitude and refusing, going so far as to threaten to kill herself should Azusa do it anyway. This is even though this situation was against Flatorte's will as well. The two compromise by having Azusa's one standing order to Flatorte be that she is to do as she pleases, allowing Flatorte her freedom while still keeping her bound to Azusa.

[[ThePromise A promise is a promise.]] (And an agreement is an agreement, and a contract is a contract.) [[IGaveMyWord It will bind for whatever term it stated or until whatever condition was required is fulfilled -- forever if neither was]] -- or leave a character TheOathBreaker forever.

[[ThePromise A promise is a promise]]. (And an agreement is an agreement, and a contract is a contract.) [[IGaveMyWord It will bind for whatever term it stated or until whatever condition was required is fulfilled — forever if neither was]] — or leave a character TheOathBreaker forever.

Normally, only the person you made it to can do it, though sometimes the person on whose behalf it was made can -- if Sir Jack promised Queen Alisandrine to protect Princess Esmeralda, either the queen or the princess might be able to let him off, provided he accepts it. Oaths made to a god — or sometimes just on the god's name — can be absolved by a religious authority, sometimes. A MagicallyBindingContract can mean that only the attempt can be made, though it still indicates CharacterDevelopment.

Also, ExactWords may be wittingly used by both characters to allow the technical fulfillment of the vow that neither one wants. The noble who swore that Princess Alisandrine will enter the chapel where she is to be crowned only over his body may lie down on the steps and direct her to step over him.

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[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

* ''LightNovel/IveBeenKillingSlimesFor300YearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'': Played with when Azusa is coerced into unknowingly making the blue dragon Flatorte her slave. She immediately tries to set Flatorte free, unfortunately Flatorte's pride as a dragon means she insists on adhering to the terms of her servitude and refusing, going so far as to threaten to kill herself should Azusa do it anyway. This is even though this situation was against Flatorte's will as well. The two compromise by having Azusa's one standing order to Flatorte be that she is to do as she pleases, allowing Flatorte her freedom while still keeping her bound to Azusa.

* There's an old ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' fanfic series by Robert Brown and Francis Tolbert (found [[http://proforcefanfictions.com/sonic/rbft/index.html here]]) which has an OC called Dorian Lexford. Snively (one of the villains of the story) saves Dorian's life. Being extremely honourable, Dorian chooses to serve Snively until his debt is repaid. Snively eventually chooses to release Dorian from his debt so that Dorian can be with the woman he loves.

-->'''Bruce:''' I know I made a promise, but I didn't see this coming! I didn't count on being happy! Please, tell me it's OK!
-->'''Andrea:''' ''(WalkInChimeIn)'' Maybe they already have. Maybe they sent me.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'' Max makes a bet with [[BigBad Bradley Uppercrust]] that the loser of the X-games becomes the winner's towel-boy. Max wins, and Bradley [[GracefulLoser acknowledges their bet]] as he goes to shake hands with him. Max is nice enough to call it off... though that might be because [[TheDogBitesBack Brad's got other problems.]]

** Later, Rapunzel [[spoiler:does rescind it, giving him it back before he has completed his promised portion. Gothel intervenes to make her think that he abandoned her immediately.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' has a final scene where Tigger, who was stuck in a tree, made a desperate bargain for help that he would never bounce again if he could get down safely. TheNarrator manages to help Tigger do so, but finds himself trapped by his promise to never bounce again, especially by Rabbit who revels in finally getting that annoyance out of his hair. However, Tigger proves to be such a profoundly mournful figure trudging away that the gang immediately decide to release him from his promise and pressure Rabbit to go along with that.

* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', Pippin swears to serve Denethor "until my lord release me, or death take me, or the world end." When Denethor enters his madness, Pippin's attempts to talk him down irritate him and result in him taking back Pippin's oath -- which means Pippin is free to go and get Gandalf to stop whatever madness Denethor is up to, while everyone else who knows what Denethor is planning remains bound by their oaths to obey Denethor's order to not interfere.
* In Creator/LMMontgomery's ''[[Literature/AnneOfGreenGables Rainbow Valley]]'', Rosemary and Ellen had promised to stay single together. Rosemary fell in love, and Ellen refused to free her. Later, Ellen fell in love; while she didn't even ask, she told her lover, who asked, and Rosemary nobly agreed to free her and declared she would not tell her love that she was free. Ellen, of course, could not accept her freedom under those conditions. (Fortunately the youngest daughter of Rosemary's love intervened.)

* In a Creator/PGWodehouse ''Mr. Mulliner'' story, after discussion on escaping engagements, Mr. Mulliner recounts how Mulliners, being honorable, insist that only the woman can break it off, and recounts a story about a nephew trying to persuade his beloved to do so after he discovers what he thinks is evidence of insanity in his family.

* In Creator/LJagiLamplighter's ''Literature/ProsperosDaughter'' trilogy, a MagicallyBindingContract holds the winds obedient to Miranda's flute for a millenium. Mab is always after her to break it and free them. Halfway through the trilogy, Miranda realizes that this sort of slavery may be keeping her from becoming a Sibyl and tells the major winds that if they can figure out a way to keep all the winds from wrecking havoc without it, she will free them from it. [[spoiler:At the end, she breaks it to free her brother. Astreus gets the winds to behave despite it.]]
** When Ferdinand appears, he offers Miranda a marriage in name only, so as to technically fulfill her promise to marry him or die a maid, and actually be released.
* ''Literature/TheHanSoloTrilogy'' has a young Han Solo ''attempt'' this with an annoying Wookie who won't leave him alone ever since he saved his life. When he attempts to absolve his new companion of any obligation to return the favor, the Wookie, by the name of Chewbacca, informs him that [[DefiedTrope he does not have the right]] to release the Wookie from his life debt. [[DoomedByCanon He decides to keep Chewbacca as a traveling companion]] after Chewie saves him from being shot to death in a bar.
* In Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'', Miles explains to Elena and her husband that he can't technically free them from their oaths to him, but they can agree to mutually head off on their merry ways.

* Discussed and averted in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''

* In Creator/JulieKagawa's ''Literature/TheIronQueen'', Puck explains to Meghan that offering to release Ash from a vow is like tearing his heart out: it means that she doesn't trust him and never wants to see him again. Even though he knows her actual motive-to protect him from a situation of grave danger to him.
* In the BackStory of Creator/DorothyLSayers' Literature/LordPeterWimsey stories, Lord Peter had been engaged before UsefulNotes/WorldWarI; he had wanted to have a WartimeWedding but was persuaded out of it on the grounds that he might end up crippled, which would be unfair to her. He released her from the engagement, just in case, and found that meant she was quickly snatched up by an unscrupulous wooer.
* In Creator/ConnieWillis's ''Literature/ToSayNothingOfTheDog'', much of Verity and Ned's angling is to get Tossie to do this to Terence-this being Victorian times, Terence can't break off himself.

* In ''Literature/{{Pact}}'', UndeadChild Evan Matthieu is bound to [[TheLegionsOfHell Diabolist]] Blake Thorburn by Blake's sworn oath to fight monsters like the one that left Evan a bodiless ghost running eternally through the forest, but he releases Blake from the oath after Blake is mauled by a RiddlingSphinx and nearly killed, deciding that it's better to worry about more immediate concerns. Of course, Blake, being afflicted with ChronicHeroSyndrome, still goes after the monsters, and [[spoiler:is made into an {{Unperson}} by a demon for his troubles.]]
* In ''Literature/TheDinosaurLords'', when Jaume draws the metaphorical LineInTheSand, he tells his men that if any choose to leave, they're forgiven and absolved of their oaths of loyalty.

* ''Literature/GotrekAndFelix'': It's a sign of how bad the situation is for Gotrek to formally release Felix from his oath of staying with Gotrek until Gotrek dies in battle so that Felix can take Snorri to safety.
* ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'': Belle releases Ebenezer from his promise to marry her.

* ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'': Years before the game, a dying [[spoiler: scientist]] asked Shuu to help out [[spoiler: the scientist's son]], Ryouta, in some way. Shuu decided to grant him a wish - [[spoiler: the wish was for a world in which humans and birds did not fight, which Shuu decided to fulfill by eliminating the human race, starting with Ryouta's best friend, using Ryouta himself as a [[PersonOfMassDestruction Bird of Mass Destruction]]]]. Near the end a [[BreakTheCutie half-broken]] Ryouta tells him
--> "Doctor... my wish ends today. [[spoiler: Father]] is no longer in this world... there is no reason for you to chase after his final will any more."

Usually this is a way to indicate development, and a shift from an almost contractual (if not actually contractual) relationship to an open-ended one powered by [[PowerOfLove love]], [[PowerOfFriendship friendship]], or [[PowerOfTrust trust]]. There is always drama inherent, particularly if it started out as a LeonineContract, in that this will demonstrate whether those things really have that power at this point. Or not.

* ''LightNovel/IveBeenKillingSlimesForThreeHundredYearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'': Played with when Azusa is coerced into unknowingly making the blue dragon Flatorte her slave. She immediately tries to set Flatorte free, unfortunately Flatorte's pride as a dragon means she insists on adhering to the terms of her servitude and refusing, going so far as to threaten to kill herself should Azusa do it anyway. This is even though this situation was against Flatorte's will as well. The two compromise by having Azusa's one standing order to Flatorte be that she is to do as she pleases, allowing Flatorte her freedom while still keeping her bound to Azusa.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': Flame General Raubahn Aldynn pledged his sword to Ul'dah's sultana, Nanamo ul Namo, and intends to keep to that oath, even as part of him would, come ''Stormblood'', prefer to remain in the newly liberated Ala Mhigo. Nanamo, fully aware of this, ultimately releases Raubahn from his vow so that he may focus on Ala Mhigo, elevating Raubahn's son, Pipin, to his former position.

* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': Subverted in the "[[Recap/StarTrekPicardS1E06TheImpossibleBox The Impossible Box]]"; Picard wants Elnor to accompany him and escape the Artifact by stepping through the Sikarian spatial projector, so the former releases the latter from his qalankhkai pledge to [[TheChampion protect Picard with his life]]. However, Elnor declines to be released and resolves to stay behind so that the Romulans cannot trace where Picard and Soji have gone.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm''. Bruce Wayne has just started his vigilante crusade, but finds his anger diminished now he's falling in love with Andrea Beaumont. During a thunderstorm he visits his parent's graves and begs to be released from his RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
-->'''Bruce:''' I know I made a promise, but I didn't see this coming! I didn't count on being happy! Please, tell me it's OK!
-->'''Andrea:''' ''(WalkInChimeIn)'' Maybe they already have. Maybe they sent me.

* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', Denethor releases Pippin, who refuses it and goes to get Gandalf to stop whatever madness Denethor is up to. This was explicit in the oath, the terms of which were "until my lord release me, or death take me, or the world end."

* In ''Series/MythQuest'', a mysterious knight challenges the court of Camelot to a test of their honor. If he lets one of them cut off his head, will they let him do the same? Caradoc accepts, and when Alex, who has taken his place in the story, willingly sets his head upon the bench, the knight is impressed at his courage and honor and releases him. This is based on an old [[KingArthur Arthurian]] story-Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

* In ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', T'Pol has an ArrangedMarriage waiting for her back on Vulcan, as per Vulcan custom. However, Trip convinces her not to go through with it. Later, when the ''Enterprise'' goes to Vulcan to cure T'Pol's mind-meld-induced illness, her mother expects her to settle down with Koss, her husband-to-be. T'Pol is reluctant. However, when Koss promises to use his social standing to save her mother's career in return for T'Pol's hand in marriage, T'Pol agrees. Then [[spoiler:her mother dies]], and Koss, seeing that T'Pol doesn't want to be married to him and the original condition no longer applies, releases her from her obligation.
* Subverted in ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': at one point where the heroes are cornered and in danger of being captured and/or killed, Picard orders his surrogate son Elnor to save himself while Picard finds a way out on his own, even declaring that he's releasing Elnor from his [[WarriorMonk Qowat Milat]] oath of protecting him with his life... only for Elnor to bluntly reply that [[UndyingLoyalty he refuses to be released]].

* In ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'', Beast lets Belle go of her TakeMeInstead promise when they find out her father could die if he doesn't get help.

* ''Disney/OliverAndCompany'': Faigan decides to extort money from what he believes to be a rich man in order to pay off a relentless loan-shark named Sykes. He does so by kidnapping! ...[[MinionWithAnFInEvil the rich man's cat]]. It turns out that the cat belongs to a little girl named Jenny Foxworth. She arrives and overcome with guilt, he returns the kitten to her just as Sykes arrives (having been informed of the plan by Faigan). He kidnaps Jenny and tells Faigan to consider his debt paid in full.
* In ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'', Flynn presents his efforts to persuade Rapunzel to release him as a generous offer to release her -- she's feeling guilty about abandoning her mother, so he will bring her back without showing her what he promised, and she will give him back what he stole. When that doesn't work, he brings her to the Snuggly Duckling in an attempt to show her the thugs she fears and persuade her thus.

* ''Disney/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' has a final scene where Tigger, who was stuck in a tree, made a desperate bargain for help that he would never bounce again if he could get down safely. TheNarrator manages to help Tigger do so, but finds himself trapped by his promise to never bounce again, especially by Rabbit who revels in finally getting that annoyance out of his hair. However, Tigger proves to be such a profoundly mournful figure trudging away that the gang immediately decide to release him from his promise and pressure Rabbit to go along with that.