Screams could be heard throughout the night as a new life was brought into the world. Though a month early, Zeynep Sultan's new baby decided it was ready for the world as the contractions hit every few minutes. The Sultan and his mother the Valide waited outside the Haseki's chambers while Hatice sat next to her dear friend and held her hand as she continued to push the new life into the world. Pacing after every scream coming from his wife, Suleiman waited anxiously while his two youngest children cried into their older sibling's arms. Picking them up, they wrapped their arms around their father's neck as they tried to block out their mother's screams of pain.

Inside the room, Zeynep struggled to push as exhaustion flowed through her. She could see the worried faces of the doctors and midwives as time went by. Her labor was lasting longer than was expected for this being her fifth child. She was starting to worry that something had happened.

"Sultana, you must push!" The midwife urged from between the legs of the Haseki. "Or the child will be in danger!"

"Zeynep, you can do this," Hatice urged her when the next wave of pain hit her. "Gather your strength."

Screaming, Zeynep pushed with all her might as her face became red at the exertion she was giving. The pressure was too much, then it stopped. It was quiet for a moment before a loud wailing pierced the air. In a bloody cloth, was a squirming and upset newborn as the midwives carried it off to be cleaned up.

"You did it, Zeynep. The baby is here," Hatice told her with a smile, brushing the sweating mother's hair back.

"Is it healthy?" Zeynep asked with a croak, her voice scratchy from all the screaming she did.

"We'll find out soon, but I imagine with those lungs they are just fine," Hatice told her slightly teasing her at the end. "Defne, Miray. Help your mistress clean up."

"Yes, sultana," they chorused as they curtseyed to the Sultan's sister. They come up to their mistress and gently help her up so they can clean her while someone else changes the sheets. Guiding her to her hamam, they sat her down before they undressed her from the bloody dress she was wearing. Naked as the day she was born, they wrapped her in a towel to preserve her modesty before they started washing her. Miray focused on her body while Defne did her hair, both women working in sync as they cared for their mistress. Once she was cleaned up, they dressed her in a white nightgown and led her back to the clean bed. Getting under the covers, Zeynep waited patiently until the midwife brought her newest child inside.

"Are they healthy?" she asked concerned, not caring about the gender of the baby as long as the child was safe.

"They are, sultana. Congratulations, you have another young Şehzade," the midwife told her with a smile before gently handing the baby over to his mother.

Looking down at his little face, Zeynep smiled at the look on her son's face. He looked at her like she hung the moon and stars as he wouldn't stop staring at her with his soulful brown eyes. His small lips made little raspberries and she knew that her son was going to be trouble as he got older. Looking at Miray, she told her, "Miray, let them inside."

Giving her mistress a curtsey, Miray headed towards the doors to her chambers and opened them to let everyone enter into the room. The Sultan was the first to enter the room as he strode over to her side to look at their newest son. The Valide and Hatice were next as they also wanted to see the newest member of the family. Burcu and Zehra then brought her other children inside, with the two youngest in their arms asleep from how tired they were. Mahidevran was last to enter with a sour look on her face.

"We have another Şehzade, Your Majesty," Zeynep told her husband with a smile as they both looked at the new life they created.

Valide came to her other side and peered down at her newest grandson, "He is so handsome. Congratulations my lion for another son."

"It made your labor worthwhile, sister," Hatice agreed with her mother as she smiled at her sister-in-law.

"Thank you Valide, sultana," Zeynep said with a tired smile. At her husband's urging, she gave their son over to him so he could begin the ritual. Defne brought over her shawl to cover her hair as the other females in the room did the same.

Holding their son with one hand on his back and one behind his head, Suleiman leaned their heads together as he whispered the Adan in his ears. After a few minutes, he finished and spoke three times, "Your name is Kadir."

Knowing how powerful of a name her new son got, she was proud of him. After Suleiman was done, he handed his son next to his wife on the bed before beginning the prayers to Allah. Everyone held their hands up as they prayed for the newest Şehzade.

"May Allah make him righteous," he spoke.

"Amen," everyone said including Zeynep's two eldest children.

"May Allah make him happy," he continued.

"Amen."

"May Allah bless the Empire with his rule," he finished.

"Amen."

Then everyone rubbed their hands down their face as they finished praying. Suleiman came back to his wife's side and placed his hand on their son's head, smoothing his gentle hair away from his face. Looking into his wife's face with a smile, he was met with one of her own before she looked away and held out her hand for her two eldest children to come closer. As Ahmed and Dilara got closer, Zeynep gave Burcu a look and she took the two-second youngest back to bed in their rooms next door.

"Ahmed, Dilara, meet your new baby brother," their mother told them.

Holding a finger out for her new brother to grab, Dilara smiled at the young baby, "Hello, Kadir, I'm your big sister. I'll do everything to protect you."

Rubbing his brother's head, Ahmed said, "And I'm your big brother, Ahmet. I'll teach you how to fight when you get older."

The newborn gave his siblings a wide-eyed look before settling down, tired already from the events that took place. Understanding that it was time to head to bed, her two eldest gave their parents hugs before joining their other siblings in the next room. Everyone else left the room as well, with the Valide last to give her newest grandson some love.

Once it was just the three of them in the room, Suleiman looked at his wife lovingly, "You have given me another son and made me very happy."

She smiled at him, "And I hope to do so again. I want us to have many children." She looked at her newest son and ran a finger over his head while the baby slept.

Meanwhile, the Valide ordered lohusa sharbat to be prepared and gold and lokma to be distributed in celebration of the birth of Şehzade Kadir. She was so happy for another grandchild that she completely ignored Mahidevran's sulking face. As the food, drink, and gold were handed out to all the women of the harem, the only one not celebrating was Alexandra who was pouting on her bed as she glared at anyone who came close to her.

"Don't blame the Haseki, Alex," Maria begged her friend, not wanting her to get in trouble. "She had no way to know she was going to give birth tonight. I heard the babe is a whole month early."

"I hope they both die," Alex whispered in Russian as glared down at the sharbat forced into her hands.

"Don't say that, Alex! Do you want to lose your head?"

Alexandra ignored her friend and continued to watch the other girls around her. She even saw a few of them looking over at her, laughing at her misfortune. She clenched her hands around her glass before taking a sip of the sweet drink, deciding to bide her time until she could strike at the older woman.

Sultan Suleiman spent his Thursday with his wife and their children, unknown to Mahidevran. The other sultana was getting ready in her room with two other maids when Gülşah walked inside looking panicked. She was adamant that this was going to be her night since she was the only sultana that could entertain him. Her mistress turned around to see her eldest maid standing at the doorway awkwardly.

"Gülşah, where have you been?" Mahidevran asked exasperated at the woman. "I need to prepare for tonight, have you forgotten?" Ignoring the look on the other woman's face, she smiled to herself as she put her earrings in, "I need to be beautiful. Don't go anywhere." Gülşah bowed her head but wouldn't look at her mistress. "What is it? Tell me what's happened."

"My lady, I heard that..." Gülşah paused, not wanting to hurt her sultana but knowing she had to know.

"What did you hear? Come on, tell me," Mahidevran urged her.

"His Majesty is spending the night with Zeynep Sultan in her rooms tonight. He hasn't left her since the birth." Gülşah looked down not wanting to see the hurt look in her mistress' eyes.

Mahidevran dropped the bottle of perfumed oil onto the rug on the floor, heartbreak flooding through her at the thought that he had forgotten her after their time in Manisa. "Get out," she ordered the other maids. "Leave me alone." Closing her box of jewelry, the two maids hurriedly left the room, leaving the sultana and Gülşah. Mahidevran collapsed onto her bed as she started crying, missing the days when they were in Manisa. "How could he do this to me? I was his one true love! How?"

She never figured out that Suleiman never truly loved her, not like he loved Zeynep. He cared about her, yes, but that was the extent of his feelings for her. Her delusions caused her more pain than he ever could. It wasn't until later in life that she finally learned this lesson.

"Please, my sultana. Don't be so hard on yourself," Gülşah implored her mistress. "I wish I hadn't told you what happened."

The door opened to let Hatice inside, and she saw the devastation on the other sultana's face. "Mahidevran?" She rushed over to sit next to the teary-eyed woman. "What happened? Why are you crying?"

"Look what happened, Hatice," Mahidevran said morosely. "Here I am waiting for him tonight and His Majesty is in Zeynep's chambers."

Not knowing the big deal since her sister-in-law had just given birth earlier in the day, Hatice said, "My brother is the padishah. We can't discuss his choices. It is not for us." She held onto her friend's hands, "Mahidevran. You are a sultana. His second favorite woman. Don't act like an inexperienced concubine." She held the crying sultana close to her as she let the other woman continue to air out her grievances.

Laughter could be heard in Zeynep Sultan's chambers as the Sultan played with his children while his wife lay in bed with their newest son. Hakan and Emine were underneath both his arms as he twirled them around with Ahmed and Dilara laughing at their younger siblings. The sultana watched contently until Kadir started making fussy sounds, likely hungry. Pulling her blanket up to cover herself, she lowered the front of her dress and brought her son to her breast, letting him latch onto a nipple to drink to his heart's content.

Looking over at his wife, Suleiman watched as she stared adoringly at their new son as he drank. How lucky was he to have a wonderful wife like her, giving him five children already in seven years? Turning his attention back to his other children, he noticed them rubbing their eyes as exhaustion pulled at them to sleep. Calling Burcu over, he let her guide the four children over to their mother to say goodnight before heading to bed, leaving the three alone for the rest of the night. Dressing down into his nightclothes, he climbed into bed next to his wife as she finished feeding their son before taking him away from her. Holding him up to his shoulder, he gently pats his back to get him to burp before laying him between them. The parents both turned onto their sides facing each other as they quietly went to sleep for the night.