SOLVED. Fantasy: small subjugated island country, assassin native comes home & helps in a rebellion.

[Courtney]

It's set on a small island nation. The island had been invaded & taken over by an empire(?) in the past & now the island nations peoples were oppressed by the empire. The book starts off with an assassin (I think) coming to the island. He was originally a native of the Island, but I don't think that was well known. The governor thinks he's there to quell an uprising and the natives don't trust him/aren't sure which side he's on. He helps with the uprising. The assassins' entire village had been wiped out when he was younger.

I think there's a magic user involved. The natives aren't allowed weapons, but they secretly have weapons that (I think) just look like sticks for farming, but are deadly numchuck-like weapons.

I think this is the first book in a series and I'm pretty sure I read it late 90's or very early 2000's.

Thanks

[Courtney]

Never mind. Someone on facebook found it.

In Legend Born