In the books, Ned and Jaime do not actually have a direct fight the way they do in the show. Jaime is the one who confronts Ned, but the books never give us a clean one-on-one duel between them.

What we can say is that Ned comes off as competent but not elite with a sword, while Jaime is treated as one of the best fighters in the realm. So if they had fought straight up in the books, Ned probably would have been badly outmatched.

How Ned stacks up

  • Ned is respected as a tough, seasoned lord and warrior, but not remembered as a legendary swordsman.
  • Jaime is widely regarded as exceptional, with reputation that far exceeds Ned’s in pure blade skill.
  • The books emphasize that the scene is different from the show: Jaime does not really join a prolonged duel with Ned.

So how well did Ned do?

He did respectably as a veteran , but not on Jaime’s level. The safest reading is that Ned could hold his own briefly in a dangerous real fight, yet Jaime would likely win most of the time.

TL;DR

Ned wasn’t helpless, but in book terms he was probably outclassed by Jaime in a direct sword fight.