Although it may not come as a shock, the upcoming episode of historical drama "Reign" promises to be a tearjerker, as previews have heavily hinted that Francis' time has come to an end.

The trailer for Friday's episode, "Extreme Measures," shows the sick King Francis (Toby Regbo) collapsing on a flight of stairs as Mary (Adelaide Kane) cries out for help.

"Death is near," the promo warns.

Attentive fans will likely have seen this coming, and not only because the producers flat out admitted it. Francis' demise has been foreshadowed by the history books.

The real Francis II of France died in 1544 from an ear infection. He was only 16 years old.

Showrunner Laurie McCarthy spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the king's impending death, a plot turn that had been planned since the show began.

"We definitely take liberties with history but there is an element of history that we felt beholden to," McCarthy said. "The pilot promises his death, it foretells it and it promises that it's going to be a tragic love story."

McCarthy said showrunners wanted to be upfront about the king's fate.

"I wanted people to get used to it -- there was no way around it in the storytelling," she said. "We've done shocking deaths and that's not the tone of this story."

She added, "I wanted it to be an emotional journey that we all went on and that we could all feel the highs and lows of, and I wanted it to be a love story. I didn't want it to be something that shocked the fans or really anybody. I needed to process it, too."

Still, McCarthy didn't reveal exactly when and how Francis would be meet his end. The show does take some liberties with history, and McCarthy admitted that the king's final journey would be "full of twists and turns."

Reign airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. Take a look at the promo for Friday's episode below.