A job for them

Meanwhile...

Outside the palace, the guards stationed at the gate stood frozen as they watched the strange-looking woman saunter closer and closer until she was standing mere feet away from them. 

They had become alarmed when the usually peaceful atmosphere of Creola became chaotic, with screams coming from different corners and people running to safety. 

Confused, the guards stepped out of the palace gates and stopped a few people who were in the process of running past the palace gates. When they were questioned, they hurriedly said the monster was coming. Though the guards wanted more details, seeing the fear and panic in their eyes and voice, they let them go. 

Baffled by what the people meant by "the monster was coming", they stood alert, outside the gate, looking toward the direction the people were fleeing from.