The 16th of March 1940.
It is a Saturday and yet, somehow, King Haakon is still in the capital attending the war cabinet.
"Your majesty, are you sure you should be here?" Prime Minister Nygaardsvold asked.
"You think I should evacuate? Well I refuse." The King said defiantly.
"No, not that. It's just I've not seen you work a weekend since the Erik the Red's Land Debacle." Nygaardsvold said.
"And that was probably a mistake." Foreign Minister Koht added.
"My place is here in Oslo as a symbol of Norwegian resistance and to inspire the Army." The King huffed.
"It's because since the two German invasions linked up, they have cut all the routes to the Fjords." Security Minister Wold corrected the explanation.
King Haakon nodded and, just, managed to avoid sobbing.
"What is the latest news from the war?" Nygaardsvold took control of the meeting.
"All bad." General Ljungberg said.
This news does indeed look all bad.
"Our efforts to dislodge the Germans from Hamar have failed." General Laake explained.
"I think the challenge of fighting an enemy from over 20 years in the future was too much for out 1918 troops." Ljunberg added.
"Do you think being repeatedly bombed to death by the Germans was, perhaps, a more significant factor?" Intelligence Minister Roscher-Lund asked.
"Well it wouldn't help, but the temporal shock was probably decisive." General Ljunberg decided.
"Have we learnt from this first engagement?" The King asked urgently.
"Oh yes, we now have a much better understanding of modern warfare." General Laake said.
"That will help us in the coming battle for Oslo?"
"Absolutely. We can now confidently predict just how badly we will be beaten." General Laake said.
"Until now we have been guessing, but the Staff are now sure we are in a bigger pickle than a Herring in a Surslid factory the week before Christmas." General Ljunberg added.
---
The Herring have returned to the narrative, but is it a sign? How long should you leave your pickled Herring before eating? Can the King survive without visiting the Fjords? Will the 1918 infantry have time to at least reach the 1920s before Norway falls? Is the fall of Oslo inevitable? All, none, some or less of these questions couldl be answered next time on For King Haakon and the Fjords!