As it transpired Jacen was entirely okay with not fighting Rumplestilskin. It was probably better for all concerned that it never come to that. "I believe our powers would be better used elsewhere in this fight than against each other. I get the sense it would be rather futile and benefit none." he stated. It wasn't that he was scared to fight him. He didn't scare easy anymore. He just didn't know if he could win. And generally he liked to go into a fight knowing the outcome. At least more or less.
"That there is, and my wife seems happy here. I do try to make sure that she is. There was a lot in my past I am less than proud of and times I have hurt her greatly. But she came back to me here and for whatever reason she has since stayed and I am grateful for that every day. If this Belle is your love, take my advice and don't let that darkness touch her. It may never leave you, mine won't, but keep it clear of your love. I didn't and it pushed Tenel Ka away, I was very lucky not to lose her forever."
It was a funny thing to say to someone he'd just met. He knew that. But Rumplestilskin seemed to remind him of his own history quite a bit. And if he could stop someone else walking the same miserable lonely path he had when the man obviously had a love in his life, then he would do so.
Talking about the power though. Now that was interesting. Straw into Gold, magic, and fear. Oh Jacen knew the fear a simple name could inspire.
"I see. And this power is within you, yes. That's what I sense to you. Interesting, and definitely not something I've heard like of, do you have an apprentice, anyone you teach, to pass the power on to when you die? Its how those of my power generally work." As for dominion over life, he found himself laughing at that in spite of himself. "Life, yes, and death, and all points in between. You see the verdant green yes, the life it has, but look over there, that withered dead plant. It was seeping life to maintain its own. Oh it might have survived some years but everything else would have died. So I made a choice to cull it before it destroyed its fellows. I gave them what it was taking and destroyed it. Hard choices sometimes but needed." And he most certainly was not just talking about plants. My power is vast but it does not come without its cost. Its not a path I'd generally encourage anyone to walk...anymore."