Getting attached to one's characters

I had an odd experience during the last few bits I wrote on The Seventh Crow. One character in the story is magically disguised for a time; he doesn't realize it, looks different, goes by a different name. I came to the part where the charm would be removed and the character would revert back to his normal form, and wrote it as it had played out in my head. Then suddenly I felt terrible. I felt as if I had killed off the alter ego, the "in disguise" character. Even though it was the same character! It really bothered me, even though this was the plan from the beginning of the story. I knew it was going to happen. But I hadn't anticipated how it would make me feel.

Which in turn made me wonder how readers were going to feel when it happens. They're supposed to be somewhat surprised, but I hadn't thought about them being disappointed, sad, or even perhaps angry. I can't change it now, too much of the story depends on it, but what to do about it?

I had to set the manuscript aside for a little while to think about it. I had to come up with some way to reconcile what had happened and not leave it where it was.

Luckily, I did. I think my idea is going to work and that if readers will stick with it, they'll be satisfied with what happens. But it just goes to show how attached one can get to one's characters. I think in this case that turned out to be a good thing, since it made me think about how my readers might react to these developments. Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our plots and ideas that we forget we have a deal with readers not to disappoint them.

On a completely different problem, I also realized that I can bypass a huge section that I thought I would have to write, by having my MC delegate a certain task to someone else. In the context of the story it makes sense for her to do this, so I'm energized to keep pressing on now.