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A book series featuring a Kingdom made up of a few clans of royalty, specializing in warfare through horseback. A merchant (Formerly a silvermith/blacksmith) sells out the secrets of this kingdom due to an arm injury sustained due to a member of a royal family disliking the price for his sword. He gets a brand on his arm to show that he works for the invading empire. The invaders win with their knowledge and a stronger type of metal that is stronger. The royal family members are sold into slavery and the common people are adopted as new members. Two royal family members (A sister and brother) escape and seek refuge from a clan of people capable with communicating with elements, and the sister learns she has a gift. The merchant from earlier comes to regret his deeds when he sees the royalty in slavery, and begins to help the remnants of his kingdom resist, due to the empire having a rule that all kingdoms not completely vanquished within a year be left alone afterwards (A strong history of success though). The merchant is shot by the brother while talking to the invaders, and much later when he is smuggling food into the city the people find out about his brand and the significance. He is sent away and also seeks refuge with the clan where he learns that he can communicate with metal. They forgive him for some reason, and he teaches the people to craft the same type of metal that the invaders had been using. He's captured and tortured for information, but is freed when the sister uses lightning to kill those guarding him somehow. They go for one final battle and the sister uses her lightning to disable them and the year is passed, allowing them to survive.
I should have been able to get the name with this information, but I can't use google well enough apparently.