I'm playing as a Nord, and we were at war with Kingdom of Swadia. I took Count Haringoth prisoner, and for whatever reason, never took the bounties from his family or released him. We eventually won the war, and completely eradicated Swadia. It's been about two in-game months since it ended, and now I'm stuck with the guy; I'm not able to dispand him, and there's been no further ransom opportunities from his family. The only option I have is to talk with him, in which I warn him about trying to escape, and he assures me he won't. I don't know if this is a bug of some sort, or if I'm stuck with him for the rest of the game? It's not a major deal; it's just really annoying.
I have a similar problem with King Harlaus. If it doesn't seem like he's running away, you may just have to throw him in a dungeon (if you have one) and forget about him. Maybe take over a castle, and when you have the option Manage the garrison (troops may not recoverable after fief is awarded) or whatever it says, dump him in that dungeon. Then the castle will be besieged, taken, and the prisoners liberated. I dunno if it will work; I'll try it with old Fat Harlaus and post what happens. Good luck. By the way, Haringoth's kind of a dick so don't feel too bad. Zander.j (talk) 03:29, July 23, 2013 (UTC)
Okay I confirmed this: If you put him in a dungeon and the dungeon is liberated by an enemy party, he should be free to go where he needs to. In my case, since it was a monarch, he left the realm. In the case of Haringoth, he'll probably pick a new faction. Zander.j (talk) 07:00, July 26, 2013 (UTC)
Yeah I found out that I could sell him to King Ragnar. He then joined some other faction, like you said. Lol and yes, he is a dick.