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KD
Since: May, 2009
27th Sep, 2020 10:25:41 AM
If they pulled a Heel–Face Turn at the last second, their leaving afterward could be But Now I Must Go.
Is there a trope for "Sympathetic Ally/Sidekick of the Big Bad (whether coerced or willing) Goes Into Exile (whether ordered or self-imposed) After Their Defeat (leaving a somewhat Ambiguous Ending as to if the other characters will ever see them again)?" (For extra feels, this character is often a sibling/former close friend and/or romantic interest of one or more of the good guys.) This may not be the actual end of a series, just the moment when this particular character is Put On A Bus.
To clarify, this is NOT the same as Tactical Withdrawl or We Will Meet Again. Those tropes are when this character plans to someday come back to continue their master/overlord/boss/partner's quest. This trope is for the character who is suddenly dealing with Unfulfilled Purpose Misery and/or has had a Heel Realization, is like Now What? and goes on a Journey to Find Themself and/or Redemption Quest.
(I've seen this in a few places— the main one that comes to mind is Murtagh from Cristopher Paolini's Inheiritance Cycle.)
I realize that this includes a lot of different tropes, but is there an overarching trope that includes all of the above? Because if not, there should be. (I guess maybe Journey To Find Oneself fits, but that page is practically a stub and could use updating.)