Because I got reviews about it: The correct term for a female knight in the context of Westeros would be "Ser". The title of Dame as the official equivalent of a knight was only introduced in 1917 by the Order of the British Empire.
Brienne of Tarth is referred to as "Ser" in the TV show upon being knighted and the word "Dame" is never in the books. Jaime also asks her "Or would Ser Brienne be more to your taste?" in the books for what that's worth.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter.
The guards of Winterfell saw a six foot tall knight upon a horse, silvery armor gleaming in the noonday sun, entering Winter town and riding towards the castle.
She rode up to the North gate of Winterfell, dismounted and removed her helmet. Two guards approached her, swords drawn, not taking kindly to an armored stranger showing up unannounced at their Lord's gate.
"Who are you, identify yourself!"
"Ser Maria Starbrand, I was sent here by order of the Night's Watch, with a message for Lord Eddard Stark, Warden of the North."
"And I'm the Lord of the bloody Vale. Do you take me for a fool, woman? The Night's Watch doesn't allow women in their midst. You're some dressed up spy from Dorne."
"Never said I belonged to the Night's watch" She took out a small scroll from one of her backpack's pockets "Merely that I carry a message from them. One of great importance"
"Well, if that's the case. We cannot allow you to visit our Lord, you could be carrying some hidden weapon."
The other guard continued. "Unless you allow us to thoroughly search you. I'm sure it will be familiar experience for a wh-"
Maria had interrupted by throwing her gauntlet onto the ground. "You have insulted my honor as a knight. I challenge you to duel. Will you duel, or are you a coward afraid to lose to a woman?" Maria had little patience for conversations with idiots and with any luck, would be killing more than these two birds with one stone.
The two men began laughing. Seizing the opportunity, Maria grabbed her gauntlet and began making her way through the gate, passing a massive glass structure to her right, a beautifully verdant greenhouse, to reach a courtyard. As soon as they came to their senses, the guards gave chase.
"Halt, you are not allowed to go in there"
Ser Starbrand stopped and turned around, facing the fool. "Draw your steel, both of you"
"Two men against an unarmed woman is hardly sporting." One guard said mockingly.
"You're right. Three more guards, join them" By this point she'd drawn the eyes of nearly everyone in the square. "Well, go on then. A knight has invaded your Lord's castle, perform your duties, you worthless layabouts" She said towards a few of the armed men standing nearby. Slowly, a total of five men stood before her, weapons at the ready.
"Has the woman lost her mind? Does she think herself to be the bloody Mountain?" Interjected Robb Stark, firstborn son of Eddard Stark. Addressing John Snow next to him as much as himself.
Ser Garlan Tyrell, one of the finest knights of Westeros and worthy of the Kingsguard, was known to spar with three men at once, sometimes four. To fight five at once was a feat reserved to men of legendary status, and they would be fools to try it unarmed. Or so was Robb's thought process.
She took a battle stance. The first guard charged with confidence he would find unearned. She dodged his first swing, then merely grabbed the blade and tore it off his hands, bashing his head with the hilt. Wielding the sword more like an improvised club, she ran towards the remaining four men. Before they could process what had happened, she began her assault knocking the men down so fast only two even managed a proper block. In a matter of seconds, five men had been defeated.
Her work finished, she dropped her blade and turned to the gathered crowd, performing an exaggerated bow. A few dared an awkward applause, among them the young heir, Robb Stark and his half-brother Jon.
As she raised her head, words echoed in Maria's mind "Once he sees you do the impossible". She strode up to one of the fallen guards, the one who'd incited her wrath to begin with and knelt down next to him. She slipped a hand beneath his armor.
"That's a fine shirt for such a fool to have". She tore a long piece of cloth from it and stood, wrapping it over her helmet's visor as a make-shift blindfold.
"Six this time" Shocked silence fell over the crowd, most assuming they must have simply heard wrong.
"I said six" She pointed at some of the men, who mere moments ago were training in the yard. "Or are you all too frightened and incompetent to fight a blind woman?"
This time, no clever remarks were made, six guards simply surrounded her, swords at the ready. Of course, she'd been trained in blind fighting by her knight order. The use of her sight was entirely optional to her at close range.
She grabbed one man and threw him into another three, grabbing his fallen greatsword and using it as a club once more to begin her rampage. The men had learned to take her as a serious threat, fighting her as if she meant to kill them. It would not avail them much. Their blows deflected as they failed to scratch her armor. She moved with no grace, closer to a wild beast, but she could think fast, her reflexes were unmatched by any here. Any sword strike found itself swiftly deflected by the sword or her armor, if not dodged or turned into glancing blows.
At times it seemed as though she would be struck, but she spoke some silvery barbs and it turned into a miss that gave her an opening to strike.
With a swift kick, she tripped her last remaining opponent to the ground, sword aimed at his neck.
"I Yield" He said. And as applause filled her ears, she undid the blindfold. She looked around the crowd and spotted a figure on a covered bridge overlooking the courtyard. He had long brown hair, a graying beard and fine clothing, which, along with the escort of guards surrounding him, identified him as the Lord of this castle. She dropped her weapon and knelt towards him.
"Care to tell me why you've elected to so thoroughly humiliate my men?"
"My lord, I am Ser Maria Starbrand, I was instructed by the Night's Watch to deliver a message to Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. Upon my arrival I was assailed by two of your guards, who threatened to dishonor me. In return, I challenged them to a duel. They questioned my skill, so I saw it fit to demonstrate it."
Lord Stark's steely gaze was on her as his expression remained neutral.
"Very well, I shall see to it that my men honor guest's rights if you would, and you will deliver this message to me."
"But my Lord, I am not finished yet." Eddard furrowed his brow quizzically in response
"I wish to fight ten next"
Forty men, a full fifth of Winterfell's garrison, lay defeated upon its courtyard, at the center of which was a woman panting like a rabid dog. The gathered crowd was in stunned silence enraptured by the otherworldly display, with the exception of young Arya Stark, who's smile stretched from ear to ear and who's delight at the battle would later be described as "most unladylike" and her mother, Lady Catelyn Stark, would later describe Maria as "a bad influence".
The woman, who Eddard Stark had begun to doubt was even human, had fought wave after wave, taking only two breaks which she described as lasting "five minutes", whatever that meant, and Ser Rodrick, Lord Stark's master-at-arms, had crudely described as "Barely enough for a virgin's first outing".
In the time it took most men to have a quick lunch she'd brough forty men to heel. For the likes of Ser Arthur "Sword of the Morning" Dayne or Barristan "The Bold" Selmy in his prime, such a display would be a highlight of their great deeds, to be written down in history and sung about for generations.
She'd done it blindfolded.
Lord Eddard Stark sat behind his desk in his Solar, across from him was an injured and exhausted unarmed woman surrounded by three armed guards. Which somehow, didn't feel like enough.
"I believe you received a letter from the Night's Watch, informing you of me. Along with a far more pressing matter."
"Aye, The Others have been gone for eight thousand years, now returned. I found it hard to believe."
"If yesterday, I'd told you about my little show in the yard, would you have believed me?"
A realization came upon Lord Stark, accompanied by a quick dry laugh.
"Was that the purpose of your little display? You're wiser than I first thought you."
She curtsied, in honor of the praise she received. "I wouldn't waste such effort on mere pride."
"The Wall shall find itself appropriately manned this coming winter, the Night's Watch's number shall not fall below a thousand, you have my word." Only a fifth of what it was at its peak, but it would have to suffice for now
"And I'll see it raised to twenty five hundred as soon as possible." He added
"But that still leaves another mystery. I've never heard of House Starbrand, nor of a woman of your talents. Where do you hail from, exactly?"
"From North of here"
"You don't look like you're from the North"
"If go North far enough, it stops being the North"
"If you're going to lie-"
"Come up with a more believable one, yes" She reached to one of her pockets, the guards brandishing swords as she pulled out a letter "As though you could stop me" She put it on the desk and slid it over to the Warden of the North. "Here"
Lord Stark carefully read over the message twice before putting it down and with a resigned expression saying:
"Very well, I'll humor you. Introduce yourself."
"I am Ser Maria Starbrand. I was born and raised within "The Jewel of the North", the City known as Neverwinter, so called because a nearby volcano heats its river, keeping its fields green all year round." A similar mechanism was behind winterfell's continued survival of the long winters.
"Upon coming of age I was inducted into an order of eldritch knights, wherein I was taught the ways of battle, along with many other things and, rather recently, I completed my training, earning my knighthood by victory in battle."
The thought of an entire order of knights like this woman sent shivers down Lord Stark's spine.
"How many are in this order?"
"A modest force, two hundred and fifty knights, and many a knight-in-training"
If a mere five would probably be enough to take Winterfell… Eddard dared not finish the thought.
"Upon being knighted, I was summoned to the North, in the hopes of saving a group of children in danger…" She paused, the words caught in her throat, she clenched her gauntleted fist as tears welled up in her eyes "I… did not make it in time. I failed. Had I heeded the call sooner, perhaps they…"
"My condolences"
She tried to compose herself and continued.
"They were far from my home, by the time I reached them, I did not know of a way back. So I wandered until I saw the Wall, killing a ghostly pale man wielding an ice sword along the way, and the rest…" She pointed towards the letter before continuing:
"There is another matter to discuss. I was told Lord Stark of Winterfell was a good, honorable Lord. I would offer my services, as one does to earn a living." Lord Stark leaned forward, showing interest in the proposition.
She continued "You have already seen my skill with a blade, failing that, eldritch knights receive an extensive education. I am well learned in matters of mathematics, bookkeeping, all manner of warfare and the laws and ways of the natural world, give me enough time and plants and I could give you crops that grow unabated by the snows of winter"
"That, I will remain skeptical of until I've seen for myself."
"I saw that you have some number of children in your care. I would hone their blades and their minds alike."
Eddard Stark turned to Jory Cassel, captain of his guard, who still had his sword drawn. "Summon Maester Luwin, he shall see if she speaks true." His gaze returned to the knight before him, gesturing for her to continue.
"I was also taught to be self-sufficient on the battlefield, I am skilled in smithing and leatherwork, my armor and hammer are of my own design."
Eddard Stark gazed upon the suit of plate armor before him, he'd seen it taking many a solid sword and spear swing, yet nary a scratch was upon it. He formulated an hypothesis as to its make, yet dismissed it out of hand, he'd seen enough impossibilities for one day.
"I am also skilled in the ways of Alchemy and know enough glassblowing to have something to store my concoctions into."
"You can make glass." Myr had long held the craft hostage at a high price, Eddard had pondered hiring a glassmaker to teach it to the North, but the costs had put him off it until more prosperous times.
"Yes, I saw your greenhouse when I walked through the gate. I would imagine another would serve you well in the coming winter?"
"'Tis the castle's main source of new food during those harsh years, barring imports. You think you could teach glassmaking to my men?"
"Is food grown in the greenhouse to be shared with all who hunger during those hard times?"
"Of course"
"Then I am at your service." She smiled.
"You will swear fealty to me. Following my orders in protection of me and my realm. When not in need you will teach my craftsmen glassblowing and my sons the blade."
"And should Maester Luwin find you capable enough, you will also teach my children all you know that could be of use to young lords and ladies to be. What would you ask of me in return?"
Ser Maria recalled all her transactions upon coming to this new world, gold was more valuable here, that much she quickly realized. She made the conversions in her head before responding with:
"One of your gold pieces for every tenday"
"Above the average for a knight, but a bargain if what you say is true. You have a deal."
"On one condition" She interrupted.
"And what would that be?"
"I swore an Oath as a Knight. That Oath was to not lord or realm, but to all living people. I was told you were a kind and just Lord. So long as that remains the case, you have my undying loyalty."
Lord Eddard Stark couldn't help but smile. "Your terms are more than acceptable"
Ser Maria Starbrand stood, then took a knee, bowing her head. At that same moment, the door to the solar opened and an old man in robes, wearing multi-colored chain links around his neck entered.
"You called for me, Lord Stark?"
Later that day, Lord Stark and Maester Luwin sat alone in the Solar, drinks poured in cups.
"So, what do you make of her?"
"Her knowledge of numbers alone would be enough for gold chain links, both red and yellow. She's more than earned Iron, war is not my area of expertise, but I trust she'd make a fine commander on the field of battle if given the chance. Although her practical experience with healing is lacking, her knowledge of the human body puts most silver link Maesters to shame. She claims it was part of her education in the ways of the Natural world, and given her near expertise in that, I believe her. She cannot make wildfire, but her own alchemical creations function as she claims. Unfortunately, her knowledge of local history is practically non-existent, but that's to be expected."
"In summary, I would wager you'll not find a more well learned Knight in all the Seven Kingdoms. Many a young Maester could learn a good deal from her."
"That's quite the order of knights."
"Were it only so simple. By her own words, even the most impoverished of the smallfolk is expected to be able to read and write where she hails from. I suspect their knights would be held to a much higher standard when it comes to such matters."
"Not a nation to be trifled with, if they can afford such expenses for the common people." Ned Stark took a moment to decipher Maester Luwin's contemplative expression. "There is more?"
"I suspect that the Lady knows far more of the higher mysteries than she lets on."
"You suspect her of magic? I cannot say the thought hadn't crossed my mind. Still, I would not shun the first envoy of a foreign power on suspicion alone, especially not one of such means. You trust she will prove useful to the North?"
"Of that, there is no doubt".
Between familiarizing herself with the history of Westeros and its great Houses, her lessons to both the Stark children and craftsmen, her duties as a knight stationed at Winterfell and gardening, Ser Maria Starbrand kept herself quite busy during the months she spent at Winterfell.
"And you're sure this will work?"
Maria finished dumping the remaining bucket of newly formed black earth, the infusion of charcoal mimicking the volcanic characteristics of her home soil, aided by bones, broken pottery and compost.
"Lord Stark, if my estimates are correct, and they most likely are, then this, along with the four field crop rotations and new irrigation system I've devised, should roughly double the crop yields per acre by next year. Mind you, I'm merely copying the standard methods of my home region."
"If that's true, then you've just saved more lives than I can count."
"With my luck, this will be the worst winter yet. Best to be prepared. Speaking of which, I best get to work on the selective breeding of cold resistant plants. If anyone still goes hungry in the North by the time I'm done, I'll consider it a failure"
"Why exactly do we need to know this? I'm a Lady, not a merchant, we've no need for bookkeeping." Whined Sansa Stark, who was not the first child in winterfell to make this complaint, and would most certainly not be the last. Arya would rather be sword fighting and shooting arrows, Bran Stark would rather be climbing around like a squirrel.
Maria held back a sigh and responded "Because leadership is bookkeeping, it is the management and assignment of resources. An army does not march on empty stomach, nor an empty wallet. Neglect to track the gains and losses of coins and you'll soon find yourself without them. Speaking of, compounding interest rates…"
Lord Eddard Stark almost always chose one of the men in his service to dine with his family. On this particular day, it had been Ser Maria's turn, she sat somewhat awkwardly and had politely refused the offered wine.
Bran Stark was late, "Probably out climbing again" his mother had said, while everyone else had left to go looking for him, Maria cast prestidigitation to ensure the food stayed warm, though it proved unnecessary.
While the Starks dined well on roasted goose onions and potatoes covered in gravy, Maria had politely declined in favor of her now usual meal of boiled beans and barley . She made some excuse about a religious vow and was pleasantly surprised she received no further questioning. After all, she could make her food taste like whatever she liked, and there were a great number of considerations regarding what she should be eating.
"Are you a knight? I wanna be a knight when I grow up" said Bran Stark.
"Yes, I am. And I'm sure you'll make a great knight when you're older, all brave and adventurous, you're just like me when I was younger."
"How did you become a knight?"
"Well, I had to spend years being trained and taught by my order. They taught me how to wield every weapon under the sun and several that weren't." The young Stark had completely lost interest in his meal at this point.
"Oh, but to become a knight, you need a great deed of bravery, a victory in battle. You see this farmer kept having his aurochs disappear in the middle of the night."
She leaned closer to the child.
"Turns out it was an Ankheg. This ghastly bug was 10 feet long, and weighed sixty stone. It had massive, razor sharp hooks for arms and Its carapace could serve as plate armor!" The boy was practically starry-eyed "It dug out of the ground and sprayed acid at me! But I bashed the foul creature with my hammer until my arms were sore and it was dead. And no sooner had finished patching myself up, another one of the things shows up" Maria still remembered how it had launched her into the sky as it bore out of the ground
Lord Stark knew how much Bran loved Old Nan's scarier stories, he couldn't help but smile at his son's joy at the Knight's tall tale.
Robb Stark fell on his back for what was not the first time that day.
"Nicely done, young Lord. You are improving quite swiftly"
"Don't call me that. I'm not a child"
Maria knelt down, looking the heir of winterfell in the eyes. "Don't be so eager to grow, Lord Stark. You won't like what awaits you. You'll need to be ready when the time comes."
"The seven hells do you know?"
"I've seen my fair share of children, eager to prove themselves, march towards their deaths." She removed her helmet, pulling her hair to one side to reveal a large scar running along the back of her neck. "I was lucky, got to learn from my mistakes"
"Tell me Lord Stark" The title was said plainly, yet it rang as a grave indictment. "What's got you so thirsty for battle? What do you fight for?"
"I fight for honor, for the honor of House Stark"
"Honor is dictated by rules, agreements and traditions, often set by long dead rulers. Rigid, merciless, inflexible things.
If the honorable thing to do was to go against House Stark? Or against the people of the North? Would you kill those you love because it is the honorable thing to do?"
Robert Stark pondered the question in earnest, a fact that made Maria respect him all the more. "No, I don't think I would"
"Then you do not fight for honor." She stood and outstretched her hand, helping him up."Good thing too, means you might live longer."
She called for John Snow to approach, it was his turn to spar next. "I'll be expecting a new answer soon, don't disappoint."
Jon Snow drew a tourney sword and took a simple guarding stance. "I'll be taking the black."
Maria began a steady assault of sword strikes, paying careful attention to how Jon chose to block them. "I saw a glimpse of what lay beyond the wall, the Night's Watch will need all the help it can get. You will be a great help to them, but…"
Maria launched a faster thrust, Jon blocked the hit but the sheer force knocked the sword out of his grip. "The Night's Watch demands a life long oath, does it not? Are you certain that is the right path for you?"
Jon picked his sword off the ground. "I'm a bastard, I've no inheritance to leave, no legacy to uphold"
Maria resumed the sparring "My grandparents were farmers, weavers and fishermen. That did not stop my family name from becomi-"
"That's not the same"
"... Maybe I don't know what it's like. But I do know your family loves you and that they'll miss you dearly, even a blind man could see that."
"... That's why I wanted to speak with you. You're a smith, I was wondering if you could make a parting gift, a sword for Arya."
"It would be an honor"
"Just don't tell Lord Stark about it. He'd never approve."
"Jon wants me to make a sword for Arya."
Lord Eddard Stark sighed deeply, war was easier than parenting.
"I intend to do so and to teach her how to wield it. A lady's life is never fully safe, she should know how to defend herself."
"Catelyn would never approve of it. I don't approve of it, I do not wish to see my daughter in any danger."
"Danger is unavoidable in life, especially for a Lady. I would have her be ready when the time comes."
"I'm starting to think Catelyn was right, you're a bad influence on her."
"What would you have me do? Tell Lady Arya that women can't be knights? That they don't belong on the field of battle? That'll be good for a laugh"
Lord Stark's thoughts wandered to many things, his late sister Lyanna, his own experiences on the field of battle. An awkward silence lingered in the room before he was ready to answer.
"Very well, make the sword, you have my blessing. But should any harm come to Arya because of this, I'll have your head."
Ser Maria bowed "I promise you'll not find a finer blade in all seven kingdoms" She left the room and got to work.
"It is done" Maria held up a new, to Westeros at least, version of a carrot which she had successfully grown in full snow and little sunlight, still in its pot.
"Impressive, we shall begin its distribution as soon as possible" Lord Eddard Stark allowed himself to smile, the prospect of a longer winter seemed less scary by the day.
"Not quite yet. I must now create a few variations of this plant"
"And why would that be?"
"I could distribute only clones of this plant, and then a single plague would wipe all of them out and our efforts will have been for not. Homogeneous populations are fragile, unsustainable, that goes for plants and people alike. Wait a little longer, you'll have your plants soon enough."
Robb Stark found himself sparring with Ser Maria once more and noticed he was performing markedly better than when his lessons with her had started. He knew she was still holding back her inhuman strength, he'd seen her fights with the soldiers of Winterfell, but was still rightfully proud of himself.
"So, young Lord, have you found a new answer? What do you fight for?" Maria began speeding up her strikes.
"Justice, I give people what they deserve" Robb Stark said confidently, rising to the challenge of her swings.
"Justice, a fine answer, a Knight's answer. When I was younger, I'd have given the same answer. You give to those that deserve, you protect the weak." She advanced with a quick thrust moving as a blur, disarming the heir of Winterfell in the blink of an eye.
"But the world can be cruel, you know well that the winter is long and cold. People will need more than they deserve and even the strong will starve. Tell me, young lord, will you spend your time trying to separate the weak from the strong, the deserving from the undeserving? Crafting the finest sieve you can make just to watch people fall through the cracks into their deaths?"
"No, I don't think so. What would you do?"
"I would give all that I have and ask for nothing in return."
"Is that the right answer?"
"I would hope not, it's just my answer. Could you imagine if such mysteries were meant to be unraveled by a fool like me?"
Robb Stark couldn't contain a laugh "You're an odd one" He picked his sword back up
"I get that a lot"
"It's finished Lord Stark, I dare say it is my finest work thus far"
As Ser Maria unsheathed the blade, Eddard Stark was stunned silent. from the hilt sprang a heavy golden sword shining with the power and intensity of the sun, its glow illuminating the room as though it were daylight.
"Radiant is always a safe bet, what with dragons being fire immune and all " Maria continued, oblivious to the mental anguish she was causing.
Ned's mind raced, there were legends of Azor Ahai, who would take up the flaming sword Lightbringer and end the Long Night once and for all. Should someone wield this blade, none would doubt their claim to such a title. None could know of this blade's existence
"Don't you think that would draw far too much attention? Arya would do best to hide when in danger"
Ser Maria extinguished the blade as if it were a candle. "I see what you mean. I may have gotten carried away with it. You can keep it, I'll get to work on something more appropriate for her safety concerns."
The weapon could probably buy a kingdom and she'd given it to him on a whim, Lord Stark elected to wipe this event from his memory for the sake of his continued sanity.
"Why are you wrestling a grizzly bear?" Asked Jon Snow, looking down into a fighting pit set up in Winter Town. Ser Maria was grappling the beast while wearing a simple shirt and short pants that made Snow want to avert his gaze to protect her honor.
"It's a cave bear." Answered Maria. The bear's claws dug into her back, but the damage was the same as if it were scratching stone or iron. "Your father's men weren't interested in fighting me."
"I really wonder why that is, a mystery for the finest Maesters of Hightower."
"Here, this blade will keep your sister safe, I am sure of it" Maria handed a sharp thin blade to Jon Snow, one quite unlike any he'd seen before, it's hilt wrapping around the wielder's hand for protection, it was made of the finest steel he could imagine and a small strange gem was imbedded in it.
"You have my gratitude, I'm sure she'll love it."
"She'll need to learn how to use it. Tell her to join you and your brothers in your sword fighting lessons."
"But Lord Stark would-"
"He already knows and has given permission." Jon Snow was quite surprised at this revelation, his face shifted between emotions rapidly, before landing back on gratitude. "You ought to trust your father more. He loves you just as much as your brother and sisters."
Snow took the sword in hand and strapped the hilt to a small belt. "I know." He smiled.
Up on the roofs of Winterfell, Bran climbed up the towers, he saw that raven again, who almost never spent time in the rookery with all the others.
The Stark children had found Direwolves in the forest. Maria's excitement died down once she'd learned that it was the only sighting of direwolves in two hundred years. This land was remarkably devoid of creatures to fight, she was beginning to grow a bit bored, pondering whether she should visit the lands beyond the wall on occasion. Still, the children were happy with their new direwolf pups and as a result, so was she.
The joy did not last long. Jon Arryn, Hand of the King, was dead.
The King was coming to visit, likely to name Ned Stark as his new Hand. Upon learning of this information, all of Winterfell began preparations to receive the royal family. Ser Maria Starbrand meanwhile, inquired upon the circumstances of Jon's death, insisting on the sending of many letters with questions about it; unfortunately, responses were unlikely to arrive before King Robert Baratheon.
She prayed she was just being paranoid.
Author's Note:
Yes, I did simulate the battle to determine her limits.
This is the chapter where D&D's heroic fantasy nature really starts clashing with ASOIAF's relatively grounded sword fighting. For context, in the books, Sandor "The Hound" Clegane's 5v1 at the crossroads inn injures him enough to force him to retire. Jaime Lannister, probably the best swordsman in Westeros, took ten men to capture alive and a younger Barristan Selmy defeating "A dozen good men" over the course of a battle is considered noteworthy.
By comparison, even 5e's notoriously lopsided action economy is going to lead to some pretty extraordinary results, and that's ignoring all the blatantly magically superpowered nonsense even fairly weak creatures can do, which for the sake of keeping this crossover vaguely balanced, I'm ignoring in favor of just eyeballing the comparisons.
Thankfully, Westeros isn't lacking in either numbers or more powerful magical creatures, for example, a fight between Maria and Wun Wun instead would have been a close one.
If you're expecting this to turn into a full tech uplift fic then sorry to disappoint, this is mostly set up and foreshadowing for later.
Arya's first sword is a Sun blade and her second sword is a rapier of warning, sure to prove useful.
Poor Ned Stark, having to deal with this insanity. Maria has now reached level 5, updated character sheet here: website is imgurdotcom(Slash)XWRLJFP