SOLVED! YA trilogy series - focuses on 3 main characters, fantasy setting with plot about freeing country from Roman-like empire

[Jun]

The story is told from the point of view of three main characters- 2 male and 1 female character. One of the male characters is a bastard son who is the step-sibling of the female character who is noble-classed, and the other male character is a peddler.

In the first book an empire invades the country they live in and takes control of it, getting rid of most of the ruling class. The female character was away with a tribe in a desert at that time, and hence was spared. She also learns to wield some magic-like powers: she can speak to the "spirit" of things and convince them to do what she wants, like for example touching and manipulating fire without harm.

Her step-sibling manages to escape as well, and organizes a rebellion, using his experience as a soldier. The peddler acts as a spy and is the link of the rebellion to the common people in the streets. The female character doesn't like the peddler much, and vice versa. The three of them eventually meet up and relunctantly work together to head the rebellion against the invaders, driving the main plot of the trilogy.

(view spoiler)[They eventually succeed in the last book using a combination of all their skills to win. There was a duel to the death at the climax of the book I think, but it didn't involved any of the three characters. It was very important to the politics though at that point, and I think there was a lightning strike caused by the female character that killed someone? The fighter they were supporting died as a martyr, which caused the people to believe that a prophet had came down and died for them, and there was a riot of some sort as a result I think. This all caused the empire's army to pull out of the country.

In the end, even though the 3 of them were very important to the rebellion, none were credited with its success, and all their actions were attributed to the prophet (who never existed) I mentioned earlier. They parted ways at the last chapter, with the female character going back to the desert tribe and the bastard son joining the army of the invaders to help them liberate a neighboring country who had a dictatorship with the people in hardship. I can't remember what the peddler did in the end. (hide spoiler)]

I read this series about 6 years ago I think. It wasn't recently released at that point of time though so it probably was published a few years back.

[Jun]

Never mind! I just found the series after a bit more digging! The first book in the series is Fall of a Kingdom!