The sun had yet to fully rise over the Scandinavian mountains, but in the town of Horten, one young boy, Rolf Brynoldsson, was already well awake. "Today is the day!" he exclaimed, whilst running through the halls of his family's small house. "Norway will be free! Alt for Norge! Alt for Norge!"

In the midst of all this commotion, another youngster rose from a heavy sleep. She sat upright and rubbed her eyes but didn't open them. She tilted her head skyward and yawned.

"Rolf, what are you doing?" she said.

He ran into her room and shouted, "Today is the day!" before running back out into the hall.

"The day for what?" the girl asked.

Rolf stopped running and walked back into Astrid's room. "Astrid, don't you know?" he said, "Our dad is off to join the Norwegian army in only a matter of a few hours!"

At this, Astrid rose from bed. "Strange, I wasn't told anything about this."

"Oh," Rolf said. He closed her door and began running back and forth along the halls once more. His footsteps and voice grew faint, then became loud, and grew faint again as he ran past Astrid's room.

Astrid giggled to herself. If for some reason any questions remained as to who of the two siblings was oldest, her brother's behavior alone should prove enough to answer them.

Although her brother beamed with excitment, Astrid felt a bit concerned. She walked out of her room and into her father's. He busied himself with dressing into clothing she had never seen before.

"Dad?" she asked.

"Yes, Astrid?" he replied.

"What's going on here? Rolf says you're off to join the army," she said.

"Your brother is right," he said. He pulled his belt tight and walked to Astrid. He kneeled down so that his eyes met hers and he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I meant to tell you but it just kept slipping my mind."

"You remembered to tell Rolf though, didn't you?" asked Astrid.

"Not quite," he said. "He was with me when I got the news. Norway needs an army for this independence movement. They're calling it unionsoppløsningen."

"Oh," replied Astrid. She tilted her head down. The news clearly had her concerned; her father could tell by the look in her eyes.

"Astrid," he said, gently raising her head back up. "You really shouldn't worry. The Swedes have said they will only attack if we do, and the Storting has told us we will do the same. We are only building up an army as a precaution." He stood up and put on a pair of white gloves. "If you ever find yourself afraid, just say 'Ja, vi elsker dette landet' and know that I will be saying those words right with you.

He opened his door and walked out. Astrid followed. Rolf was still running back and forth. He stopped as soon as he saw his father. "Bye dad!" he said.

His father rubbed Rolf's head and said "Bye, son. I'll be home as soon as this is all over with."

And with that he left to join the army. Astrid knew her father said not to worry but she couldn't help but do so. As time ticked by she found herself echoing the words "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" every few minutes. She simply didn't know how she should deal with not having her father around to comfort her.

Over the course of a few weeks, she found that she could no longer enjoy playing with her brother because she was simply too worried about her father. She lost all interest in everything she used to consider fun.

After only a month Astrid spent as much time in her room as a hermit might. She rarely left, and when she did it was only to eat or go to the bathroom. Her brother grew very lonely. He didn't understand why his sister had exiled herself to her bedroom. He too soon grew uninterested in many of the things he once considered fun. He pleaded with his sister to come out and play with him, but to no avail.

In the middle of December, Rolf couldn't handle his loneliness anymore. He had to know why his sister wouldn't leave her room. He gently opened the door to Astrid's room and looked in, his head resting on the frame of the door, covered in rosemaling. He saw her lying on her bed, repeating over and over "Ja, vi elsker dette landet." He closed her door. He now knew what his sister had been doing all this time, but he still had no clue why she never came out to play.

He went downstairs to ask his mother, Idunn, what troubled his sister. She was washing dishes left over from making glögg when he found her. She tried to explain to him that his sister was very afraid for the safety of their father, but Rolf didn't understand.

"Didn't dad say he would be alright? That they would only fire if the Swedes fired first?" Rolf asked.

"Yes, he did," she replied.

"Then why is she so scared?" he asked.

"I guess she must not believe him," his mother said, more concerned with her dishes than her son's question.

Rolf still had no good explanation, and the more he looked for one the more confused he became. He could take it no longer.

He ran upstairs and went into his sisters room. She had become a broken record, constantly repeating the phrase "Ja, vi elsker dette landet." As soon as he entered she stopped speaking and bolted upright, looking at her brother intently.

"Why don't you leave your room anymore?" he asked straightforwardly.

She fell back onto her bed and groaned. "Nothing is fun anymore without dad. Just go play by yourself," she said.

"But I want you to play with me!" he replied.

"Just go away," Astrid said.

He left her room, disappointed, and went to his own. Unsure whether or not his sister would ever be the same again, he fell onto his bed and stared at the ceiling before falling asleep.

Late in May, just after sunrise, Rolf again ran back and forth past his sister's room. This time, however, he shouted something different: "The Treaty of Moss is signed! Norway is free! Norway is free!"

Astrid came out to see what the commotion was all about. As Rolf ran past her, he shouted "The treaty has been signed! Dad is coming home!"

Astrid's eyes lit up. She ran down stairs and asked her mother if this was true. As her mom explained the Treaty of Moss to her, her father opened the door.

As soon as she saw him, Astrid ran to him and hugged him like a bear. At last her father was home. She didn't need to worry anymore. Her father explained to her that, just as he had predicted, not a single shot had been fired on either side. The union between Norway and Sweden had dissolved completely peacefully. Prince Carl of Denmark was to be the new king of their now completely independent country. All members of the family joined in a warm embrace, finally reunited after almost a year of separation.

A few days later, Rolf and Astrid again played together in the upstairs hall of their small house. It was then that the two looked out the window and saw a new flag flying from across the street. They looked closely at it. It was mostly red with only a blue and white cross creating its design.. More noticeable, however, were the big black letters written over it. They read: "Ja, vi elsker dette Landet."