A Day In the Life of an Author

Yes, most of you already know that I, Manwathiel, am writing a novel. Well, I'm actually writing several, but then, there are the novels, and there is The Novel. Now, The Novel, is a fantasy that I have been working on for a little over a year. I was writing part two for NaNoWriMo and I believe that I finished that part last night. Over the course of writing parts one and two of this story I have come to a shocking realization: I have little or no control over my character's lives.
Yes, it's true. My characters are constantly doing things that I do NOT want them to do. Take Kazan, for instance. (Yes, I know that most of you don't even know who Kazan is, but bear with me) Kazan was never supposed to exist. He started out as simply an old man who was getting in Ariadnë's way. He was meant to have maybe one sentence in the whole story. But then what happens? *poof* I have a shape-shifter on my hands! I never wanted a shape-shifter in my story, he was just suddenly there. So what did I do? I tried to get rid of him, send him back to the palace where he wouldn't trouble my story any further. But then what does that annoying Kazan do? He starts popping up right and left, just where I least expect him! I no longer know whether to trust characters of my own creation. Is Liros really Liros? Or is he Kazan disguised as Liros? Is that big white owl really just a big white owl? Or is it Kazan? I no longer know. I have no control of whether or not Kazan pops up, or what he does when he pops up.
Then there is Melana, yet another character who is not supposed to exist. She started out as a Lady of the Lake-type person (probably as the result of me re-reading King Arthur). But then what do I find out? She can read people's minds! I did not know that. I did not want her to read people's minds, but read them she does. Melana's character goes on to reveal that she is a Fay (or a Fairy), and that she was abandoned by her people. Now I am left with figuring out why she was abandoned, and what she was doing at The Myst in the first place! I did not want her to be abandoned. She just was.
And then there was the mute woman. She started out as some random kid's mom. Then I found out that she was mute. I had no idea why she was mute. But she was mute. And then, horror of all horrors, she started talking! And now I am left with figuring out why she was pretending to be mute, who she is, and why she started talking! She, also, is not supposed to exist.
Just when I think that I am almost finished with my story, characters start heading in the opposite direction, Kaisan starts quoting poetry, and Ariadnë starts ranting. I did not intend for those characters to do what they do, but they did. I find that I cannot stop them either. Am I really the all-powerful author? Do I really have control over my character's lives? Or am I merely telling the tale the way they want it to be told?