Plot holes (spoilers included) in RotE

[Nuytsia]

I am not sure Galen tried to *kill* Verity? Fitz says he wanted to 'drain him dry'.
I think he wanted to drain his Skill strength to augment his own, and that was his main aim.

I don't quite understand how he would be able to hold the "surplus" Skill strength in reserve. Verity's stamina is already known to be very substantial, and Galen's Skill ability is probably not as good as Verity's as his training was not complete. Wouldn't it be like trying to make a bucket bigger by siphoning water off an Olympic sized swimming pool?

Well that's a whole other question! I have no idea if you can Skill-drain someone with more 'capacity' for the Skill than yourself!
I am happy to believe it's possible...

On another minor point, I don't think Verity's training was complete either, and although I guess Galen's was even LESS complete at the time of Solicity's death, Galen had access to Solicity's Skill scrolls (whereas Verity did not). Toward the end of AQ that is indicated as the likely reason why Regal's coterie were so effective (despite the fact that AFAICT none of them are 'naturally' strong in the Skill except Will, and probably Serene).
I get the impression Verity is 'naturally' very strong in the Skill ......

I'm a bit late for the whole Realder's dragon discussion but having just finished re-reading AQ it's totally clear that Realder's dragon is completely different from girl-on-a-dragon. There's no ambiguity. I don't think there is any mention of who else is in Realder's dragon besides Realder. Girl-on-a-dragon contains Salt's coterie (Salt is the girl who kept herself apart from the dragon, and I think the rest of the coterie are all women)
So, yeah it's a pretty big plot hole really that they are seen to be the same thing in the Tawny Man trilogy (which I hope I am right in assuming is the implication of the original post....) Yes I've read Tawny Man trilogy but I can't remember......!!