I can't speak to how they are used in "Game of Thrones."
To "yield" means to move back, move out of the way, or retreat, often by a small amount, often temporarily.
At a traffic circle in the U.S., cars entering the circle must yield to cars that are already in the circle. That doesn't mean they give up, or go into reverse, or "surrender." It just means they slow down and wait for the other car to get by, and don't enter the circle into they have a clear space.
When you sit on a cushion that is "yielding," your weight pushes the cushion down a few cm. The cushion doesn't collapse. The cushion isn't pushed out of the way. It just yields. When you stand up, the cushion resumes its normal shape.
The literal meaning of "surrender" is military, and means to give up completely, give up everything, give up permanently.