**NOTICE: BRIEF GRAPHIC IMAGERY AHEAD**

                                                              [Episode contains mentions of blood, etc.]

[Medical Office]

-- Place him down. Gently now…

-- My goodness!

His eyes felt heavy and he was uncertain of where he laid. Sounds and visions, everything around him was a chaotic blur. 

Blood ran down from his back and onto the bed. The fierce whipping had sliced open his flesh and the white linen covering was now being stained red.  With long gashes streaking across his back, upon his chest, he lay near unconscious.  

Wide eyed, the doctor frantically dabbed at the young man's face and cried out at him in fear

Royal Physician: My Prince?!! Can you hear me?! Stay awake!

And then to his assistants

Royal Physician: Salts! Get the salts!! And the gauze - BRING EVERYTHING NOW!!

**

**

The bed, her skin, her clothing and the Royal Doctor’s hands, were all covered in blood. She lay enveloped in sweat. Her body shook and her eyes rolled within her head. It was beyond the pain of regular childbirth and Marie wished for her torture to end, then and there, by means of her death. 

For hours into the still night, there were only the moanings, cries and screams of a Queen in absolute agony.

And as she lay; long past exhaustion, the Queen silently wept. 

Sometime before sunrise, at long last, her immediate suffering came to an end with her unfortunate babe coming into the world still and lifeless, into the scene and sound of lamentations.

**

**

-- From what I heard, the King personally flogged him in the shed

-- His own son? Look at his condition…How could he do this?

-- Shh! How can you speak that way?! Do you want to die?

-- It’ll definitely take awhile to heal…. and the scars

-- Oh,..he’s young he’ll bounce back.

-- True, but still…Oh! …Doctor?!!

-- He’s awake?!

**

Royal Doctor: My Prince? Good morning...Bring the draught prepared for him.

Alex: Hngh!...mother-how?

Royal Doctor: No no..don't try to speak.

-- Here, Doctor

Slowly, he fed Alex the bitter liquid. 

The young prince tried to turn away his face but somehow he could not, so unwillingly, he accepted it and swallowed. He remained chest down, his torso now completely wrapped in bandages. In his stupor, he groggily wondered

{Is mother okay? I didn't mean for her to get hurt-if anything happened to her, how would I...}

Alex then closed his heavy eyelids and slowly and silently, he began to cry.

[Roman's Journal entry]

---------*----------

2nd July 18xx

One terrible thing led to another, then another since the day of Alexander's hunt. I attempted to reason with father to lessen his lashes, however, upon finding him 'hiding' at mother's to escape his punishment, it was unsurprisingly increased.

I recall when I received my first lashes- I hated father for half an entire year and I had only received 15 - Damian 30, but Alexander - his small body received, I was told 50; Inflicted by father himself. No doubt he would be past pain now - unconscious perhaps.

Mother is also in pain, having lost the child; a sister - Cyrus reported to me. I wonder what her appearance would've been. No matter, all is lost now and mother will require a long time to heal.

The cause of all this - Alexander's carelessness and father's uncontrolled anger. The former, I dare say, I can openly confess.

-----

----------*----------

1st August 18xx

A lone spy- hidden in shadow- located our hideout. The evening was dark and with little moonlight, however, I saw him clearly. Undoubtedly an officer of the Empire. Unlike the others which came and I immediately killed, this one escaped me. I did indeed shoot him. I know this for a certainty.  He will not live long. He must be found.

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