I don’t think Gold could just say he wasn’t going to use magic like Regina did at the beginning of the season. It would go just about as well for him as it did for her. Also, I think since we’ve already seen a character make that sort of promise and break it, we’ll hopefully not be in for a repeat of that story. I think instead he’ll make some sort of choice to have the magic forcibly taken from him. So it will be a choice, and it will be in favor of choosing Bae, Belle, Henry and goodness for a change, but after the choice is made there won’t be a way for him to “slip up” like Regina did.