What you may be looking for, Luminosity, is an [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knightly_sword]arming sword/knightly sword[/url] rather than a longsword.  Longswords are two-handed warfighting weapons, but what a lot of video games and other modern material calls longswords are actually that arming sword/knightly sword up there.

I'unno.  I'll admit to having not read the sheet, but the debate seemed to be one where that fudge was relevant.  I've seen [i]a lot[/i] a lot of folks fall down that trap.

Anyways.  Insofar as ranged defense on a lightweight dispowered character...well.  Most of the historically accurate defenses against ranged weapons generally came down to "wear a lot of metal" or "carry a big freaking shield"; something to get in the way.  Neither of which are options.  You could probably get away with carrying a buckler shield, though.  While [b][i]I[/i][/b] wouldn't want to try and protect myself from arrows with a dinner plate on a handle, I would take the dinner plate on a handle any day over nada.  And bucklers were easily enough worn on a belt or such (they were, in fact, designed for it if I recall) and could thus be taken up at need with your free hand rather than having to permanently occupy that mitt.

Also a helm of some sort.  There's a reason all those old gladiators out there are shown as nekkid save for one arm and a helm.  Gotta keep dat noggin intact in front of damn near everything else.